Follow the Leader
by Dancing Lunar Wolves
Summary: Kate and Lilly are having a bit of trouble in getting Humphrey and Garth to agree on anything. How will these two keep their family together? By a simple game of-course. Part of A&O: The Series
1. Chapter 1

**Remember when I said soon? This is what I meant. I first of all wanted to thank all the authors in this project. Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

* * *

**Alpha & Omega **

**:Follow the Leader:**

It was nearing the end of spring in Jasper Park Canada. Wolves from the Eastern and Western packs had gone through a time of war, but had now made peace with each other.

Their hunts were prosperous, their territory had become larger, and their lives were finally happy.

But their long awaited peace was shaky at best. An Eastern Alpha and a Western Omega had become mates, thus ending their feud.

They had met so quickly, but they got along well. Though they did have a few problems to work out in their own family.

"Garth, wake up." Lilly giggled, continuing to nudge the sleeping wolf.

She hovered over him, smiling warmly as the first slimmer of light touched down in their den.

He had been hunting the previous day and came back tired.

Lilly had waited until he got back, but was more than happy just to have him home safely by her side.

They had been mates for only a week or so now, and had moved into a den of their own. Though it was insisted by Eve, Lilly's mom, to stay in the Western side for now.

Lilly had to admit it was scary at first, moving out and having to rely on someone that wasn't directly related to her.

But after she met Garth, she knew things would turn out alright.

"Come on, wake up," She leaned down and nudged her nose slightly behind his ear "Remember we promised to meet Kate and Humphrey?"

Garth twitched his ears at the mention of them, though he was still deep in sleep.

Kate, Lilly's sister and her mate Humphrey. They were largely a part of why both packs had joined, and helped give Garth the courage to tell Lilly how he felt.

Lilly pulled away from his ear and sighed. She was still getting nowhere with getting him to wake up, but she had a plan.

She curled her tail around her, covering her mouth with one of her paws to prevent her from laughing at her idea.

Carefully and craftily she grabbed her tail in her other paw and tickled Garth's nose with it.

"Hngh, huh?" Garth sneezed a few times, shaking his head to and fro from the feeling on his nose.

"Haha." Lilly couldn't help it anymore and started laughing uncontrollably, falling backward and holding her sides.

Garth opened one eye, slowly taking in the morning light and pointing his ears toward the source of the laughter.

He turned to see Lilly on the ground beside him, giggling and kicking her feet in the air.

"L-Lilly?" He said, concerned that something may be wrong, but from the tone in her voice he felt more at ease.

Knowing her for only a short while, he found her to be funny, cheerful, and overall caring.

She continued to laugh, not hearing Garth call to her, it was just too funny.

Garth himself started to laugh, no matter how tired he was he enjoyed being by Lilly.

Garth rose to his feet, stretching away the feeling of drowsiness and yawning "Morning, hun."

"Ha, huh?" She turned to look at him, laughing and having some of her hair fall onto her eye.

She loved everything about him. Every bristle of red fur on him gleamed in the early morning light, and his bright green eyes she could stare into them for hours.

"Well, I hope you had fun." He smiled at her little prank, she always knew of a way to make him laugh.

"Mhm" Lilly nodded, forcing more of her hair to fall into her eye.

Garth padded over to her and leaned down.

"Aww," He said, faking a pout "Now how will I see my 'Beautiful' Lilly's eyes."

Lilly simply giggled, knowing full well that Garth was just teasing her.

"Hmm, let's see if I can find them." Garth carefully nudged away the hair covering Lilly's eyes.

"Wow," He loved the way she looked at him with her soft, downright stunning lavender eyes "I've never seen anything so beautiful."

Lilly couldn't help but blush at the compliment, she knew it was genuine.

"Well," She spoke softly "I've never met anyone with as big of a heart as you."

She meant it, he was there to help her when she needed it.

She wasn't as shy, she was more outspoken, and he helped her overcome her fears of being alone.

Lilly leaned up, closing her eyes in hope that Garth would take notice.

Garth got the idea and leaned in closer, rubbing his nose with hers.

"Lilly, Garth, are you in there?"

They both turned their heads in the direction of the sound that interrupted their moment. It was Kate, and judging by her being here it was almost noon.

"We overslept!" Garth said panicking, being an Alpha he didn't like to be late for anything.

Lilly sighed, she didn't want the moment to end "I tried to get you up, but..."

Garth grinned and took a step back, embarrassed that he made a mistake in front of Lilly.

She rolled to her feet and stood up. "I tried for a while, but it didn't work." She said sheepishly.

"Sorry." Garth grinned more, trying to hide before he made another mistake.

"Is this a bad time?" Kate yelled up to them again.

"Coming Kate." She turned around and smiled back at Garth "I'll meet you there."

With that Lilly strolled out of the den leaving Garth alone.

He had to go and meet up with them. Realizing that he was going to be late he had to make himself somewhat presentable, but he couldn't greet them with his hair a mess 'First thing's first, a bath.'

* * *

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum. forum/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/118805/**

**If you want to keep up with any of the stories follow the community.**

**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Beta Read by: Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


	2. Chapter 2

**I first of all wanted to thank all the authors in this project. Thank you for all who read and reviewed. Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

* * *

**Alpha & Omega**

**:Follow the Leader:**

Kate sat outside her sister's den patiently awaiting her arrival; idly swishing her tail, and catching a slight breeze every now and then as she warmed her fur in the afternoon sun.

It was quiet in the area, much too quiet to have been the afternoon in their pack.

Lilly and Garth's den was just on the outskirts of the Western packs borders, close enough to where Eve could watch out for them.

It was well chosen by Winston and lay under a large and stable tree.

"Is this a bad time?" Kate asked again, hoping she wasn't disturbing them.

"Coming Kate." She heard Lilly call back to her from the den.

'Finally' Kate thought, closing her eyes and raising her paw to her mouth as she let out a yawn.

The moment she finished she heard the sweet sound of her sister's giggling coming towards her.

She brought her paw down and saw her Lilly smiling warmly. Both bright eyed, and bushy tailed; Lilly came trotting down the path.

"Tired, Kate?" Lilly asked innocently, fully aware that she herself had overslept.

"Yeah-" Kate said back, feeling herself on the verge of yet another yawn "Humphrey's 'jokes' kept me up."

"What'd he do?" Lilly asked curious as to what he had gotten himself into this time.

"Well," Kate started, motioning for Lilly to follow her back to the den, "When I came back from border patrol he thought it'd be funny to imitate Garth."

"W-What?" Lilly stammered back, making some of her hair fall back into her eye.

"How?" She wouldn't think Humphrey would try to imitate her mate, but she had to find out his motive.

Kate chuckled when Lilly asked this. Her sister had always been intrigued by such stories, and this one would be no exception.

Kate picked up her pace and continued her talk "Let's just say he found a bunch of red berries after he played berry ball with his friends."

"Did it work?" Lilly asked back, following Kate briskly and closely.

"It did, but-" Kate rolled her eyes, hoping that Lilly would catch on to her story.

"But, what?" Lilly called back.

Kate smiled back at Lilly, almost laughing herself at what happened. "His fur's red and sticky now."

Lilly nearly tripped from laughing at the image she got. Humphrey acting like one of the best alphas in their pack.

"Yep," Kate giggled slightly, slowing her run to a walk "That's my Humphrey."

Seizing the opportunity to catch up with her sister, Lilly jogged to her side.

Once there she took a moment to look around. They were close to their parents' den, near a tree that had made a bridge long before they were even born.

Lilly was happy that her mom had made arrangements to let her stay close, she was still uncomfortable with moving far away even with Garth.

Kate was always one for adventure, and without any lack of confidence she began to walk across the fallen tree.

"So where is he?" She heard Lilly call back, trailing behind.

"Oh," Kate stopped midway on the tree and turned to see Lilly taking a much safer way, "I told him mom would be upset if she saw him like that."

"Where's Garth?" She asked, curious as to why her sister's mate wasn't closely trailing them.

"I guess he went to get washed up." Lilly called back shyly.

Though since she had been with Garth her confidence was boosted, when he wasn't near she felt somewhat timid still.

Kate watched as Lilly made her way around the gap, closely to the other side.

Once her sister was waiting there for her, Kate refocused herself and confidently walked across the gap. "Well remember what mom said."

Lilly smiled back at her sister; remembering all the lessons their mom had taught them, and singling out the one used in this situation.

Once Kate had crossed Lilly spoke up, joining her sister in the small phrase.

"If you show up terrible and late, you'll leave even worse." They said in unison, smiling the whole way.

"Well," Kate said, tilting her head up to the rock formation that made up their parents' den "Let's wait for them inside."

"Okay." Lilly picked herself up and walked carefully behind Kate.

* * *

'Can't be late,' Garth repeated this over and over again. He had just gotten to the bank of the lake and looked at his reflection in the water.

He was a mess, his hair and fur stood in whatever direction it chose.

"How could you oversleep?" He asked his reflection, not really expecting an answer.

The lake was rather large, just him and whatever wolves came to find a drink of its cool, refreshing water.

Shaking his mind of the thought of being late for his meeting with Eve he slipped himself in the water.

It was cool to the touch despite it being the end of spring, but overall relaxing from the heat.

He took a deep breath and dipped his head down, getting his fur soaked and ridding himself of any leftover feeling of exhaustion.

'I can't disappoint Lilly.' He thought, gradually lifting himself out of the water. He shook himself off, flinging drops of water onto the surface of the lake and the nearby grass.

"Okay, what's ne-" He felt a large amount of water splashing him out of nowhere, getting most of it in his eyes.

'What was that?' Garth nearly shouted, upset that he had his fur messed up again.

Opening his eyes he turned to see the cause. A red wolf, laughing uncontrollably, standing in the shallow part of the lake.

"Who are you?" Garth asked, annoyed at the gesture.

"What, you don't recognize me?" The wolf asked, calming down from his laughter.

Garth shook his head no, he didn't recognize him immediately, but it soon dawned on him of who would do that.

Humphrey smiled and waved. "Heya Barf."

* * *

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum. If you want to keep up with any of the stories follow the community.**

**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Beta Read by: Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


	3. Chapter 3

**I first of all wanted to thank Gordon Pasha, my fellow author in this project. Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

* * *

**Alpha & Omega**

**:Follow the Leader:**

Garth sat in the shallow water with his mouth agape, wide eyed at the spectacle before him.

"So what do you think?" Humphrey's smiled, striking a pose.

Garth couldn't believe what he saw.

Humphrey's fur was a deep shade of red running from his nose to the tip of his tail.

"A-are you okay?" Garth asked him hesitantly, unsure of what to say at that point.

"Yep," Humphrey answered back, "You wouldn't believe how long this took."

Humphrey took a step forward, soaking his paw in the water and removing some of the berry dye.

Garth shook his head, now doubtful that Humphrey was seriously hurt. "What's wrong with you?"

Humphrey calmly waded through the water and smiled at Garth.

"How can anything be wrong when you're 'Perfect'?" Humphrey stated and pointed at himself.

Garth knew there was something he was missing, but he couldn't place his paw on it. "Perfect?" He asked, unsure what his brother-in-law meant.

"Well, you know" Humphrey sat beside him and grinned.

"Alpha leader." Humphrey stated sarcastically. "Insane moves." He waved his paws around in the air, missing Garth by only a few inches. "Red Fur?" He pointed at some of the red matted fur on his chest.

As if a bolt of lightning struck him, Garth finally understood what Humphrey was getting at.

"So you're imitating me, huh?" He asked, smirking at the idea but hiding the fact he was both upset and proud from being a role model.

"HA," Humphrey laughed, so loud that Garth stepped back a bit splashing in the water, "I was talking about me."

Garth rolled his eyes, knowing that Humphrey was just joking with him again.

He looked around to see that Humphrey was still striking poses, some of them were very close to what Garth did at times.

"So what are you doing here?" He asked Humphrey, trying to hurry their conversation so he could get back to Lilly quickly.

"Hmm?" Humphrey stopped and sat down in the water, finally paying attention to Garth.

"I 'was' entertaining Kate," He stated, while scrubbing the red dye out of his fur.

"But, it kinda backfired." He took a moment and looked at his reflection in the water, needless to say he was a complete mess.

Garth gave a slight grin, thinking of how Humphrey could have possibly messed up being 'Perfect'.

Even though they had become part of the same family they never truly did see eye to eye.

From Humphrey's past few jokes Garth had been annoyed, but this one even he thought was slightly funny.

"And what might you be doing here this fine afternoon?" Humphrey asked him as he dipped his head into the water, leaving only his ears above the surface.

Garth looked on and thought of a way to turn the joke back onto Humphrey.

"I woke up late, then was stopped by someone that looked like me." He said, hoping that he had made a good choice in his words.

Humphrey lifted his head out of the water, effectively removing the red berry stain from his fur.

He shook himself dry, carelessly flicking water onto Garth. "Heh, I wonder where he went."

Through Humphrey's laughing he couldn't see that Garth was getting a bit more upset.

"Look Humphrey," Garth snapped back, wiping some of the water from his eyes "I'm not going to be late."

In one quick motion he turned and hopped back to the shoreline of the lake and shook himself dry, "If you want to keep playing in the water that's fine."

Humphrey looked back to see that Garth was a bit upset and shrugged his shoulders.

"What's the rush?" He asked, hoping he didn't go too far.

Garth froze, not believing what he heard. "What, you don't remember?"

Humphrey wadded out of the water, flicking whatever stray water he had left in his coat back into the lake.

"Yeah, we were supposed to see Winston, right?" He asked sitting several feet away and scratching his ear with his hind leg.

"Uh, no?" Garth said nervously. "We were supposed to see Eve?"

"Uh-oh." Humphrey stopped the moment he let his foot down. He knew that Winston was lenient with him, but Eve was a different story.

"Yeah, uh-oh." Garth followed up. "So, you ready?"

Humphrey nervously smiled. "Yeah, right behind you."

* * *

"Hey dad," Kate and Lilly said in unison as they walked into the den.

It was bright enough outside that they could see their father sitting down and chatting with another wolf inside.

As soon as he heard the two calling him he halted his conversation and looked toward them.

"Kate, Lilly, there you two are." Winston asked them, walking over to his daughters proudly.

Kate was the first one to greet him with a simple hug. "Kate, how's my big girl doing?" He asked, bringing her into a tighter hug.

"I'm fine, dad," She said, still somewhat tired, but not wanting to show it around her father.

Lilly carefully walked beside them and sat, waiting for her chance to hug her father again.

"Lilly," He turned to her, embracing her into a gentle hug "My precious little Lilly, How are you?"

Lilly giggled slightly, she had missed being in the presence of her parents. Though she wasn't far enough away to get homesick, she missed waking up with her family in the same den.

"I'm okay," She said cheerfully as she let go.

"I'm glad you two are alright." Winston said, thankful his family was doing well. He turned to the wolf he was talking to earlier. "Tony and I wanted to talk to you two."

After hearing the name of the wolf, Lilly turned to see her Father-in-law sitting idly and nodding at her.

"Oh, h-hello Mr. Tony." She said sheepishly, still uncomfortable around Tony when Garth wasn't near her.

Tony chuckled at the formality "You can call me Tony, Lilly."

She smiled back nervously. Thought she was still nervous about Tony she still wanted him to be proud of her.

"So," Kate spoke up, wanting to know why they were called there, "What did you call us over to do?"

Winston looked nervously at Tony, knowing that this situation couldn't be avoided any further.

Tony nodded back and Winston gave a deep sigh. "We were going to ask about how things were going with Garth and Humphrey."

* * *

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum. If you want to keep up with any of the stories follow the community.**

**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Beta Read by: Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


	4. Chapter 4

**I first of all wanted to thank Gordon Pasha, my fellow author in this project. Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

* * *

**Alpha & Omega**

**:Follow the Leader:**

"Everything's going great," Kate said to them. "Right, Lilly?"

Lilly just nodded back, trying to stay away from any sort of conflict and take a back seat in the conversation.

Winston along with Tony, Kate, and Lilly sat together in the den. Both Winston and Tony had a dilemma that they needed settled.

"Well, it's come to our attention that," Winston said to them sternly. He looked over his shoulder to see Tony nodding back to him.

"What's wrong with them?" Kate asked hastily and in hopes it wasn't something that would cause a second pack war.

"More like what they do to get on each other's nerves." Tony said back to her.

With a heavy sigh, Winston turned back to his daughters and continued, "Garth and Humphrey aren't getting along well."

"What?" At the mention of this Kate flinched and narrowed her eyes toward Tony. Her first thought was what Garth could have done to upset Humphrey.

"Kate?" Winston said calmly, taking notice of his daughter's complexion.

"What did Garth do to Humphrey?" She yelled out, startling Lilly. Regardless of Garth being her hunting partner she still had some reservations about him.

Winston waved his paw in a 'calm down' manner towards Kate. She quickly sat down and perked her ears up for an answer.

Seeing Kate calm, Winston proceeded, "I was informed by Hutch that Garth had called Humphrey a 'coyote'."

"W-what?" Lilly said innocently, not believing for a moment that Garth, after all they had been through, would say something like that for no reason.

"I-" Kate started to say something when Tony halted her as well, pointing over towards Lilly. She looked over to see that Lilly was staring weakly at her paws.

"However," Tony spoke up, more towards Lilly than Kate "Claw told me it was because of a prank that Humphrey pulled."

"A, prank?" Lilly said softly, though still clearly upset.

Tony nodded "She said it involved 'berry juice' and Garth's ears."

"Oh." Lilly said and smiled weakly, remembering him scratching at his ear for some reason several days ago when it turned blue.

"Then, Can-do told me that," Winston looked over towards Lilly as he tried to find the right words "Garth, kind of, knocked Humphrey out."

Lilly's head shot up in shock. The sheer force of her movement revealed both her eyes for a moment.

Kate, however, sunk her claws into the dirt. There was no way she would let this kind of thing go.

"In Garth's defense," Tony said, remembering that Kate was Eve's daughter, "Scar said he said he saw a spider, crawling on Humphrey's head."

"Oh." Kate said, feeling less tense and forgetting that the whole thing happened.

"What should we do?" Lilly asked shyly. She didn't want to upset the balance of both packs and she wanted more than ever to show Tony that she could be a leader alongside Garth.

"Lilly it's alright," Tony said to her reassuringly "We just need them not to, well?"

Kate took the moment to process the thought and blurt out the answer, "Not to have Garth attack Humphrey, and then have me get upset and, then have mom maul him?"

All three wolves looked at Kate in unison, stunned that she would go that far.

Winston was the first to recover from his shock. "What Kate means is," He walked over to Lilly and sat beside her "It's vital that you all respect one another."

"So, we're leaving that up to you two on what you should do." Tony added.

"Thanks dad," Lilly said, gaining a bit of confidence in her voice "Thank you Tony."

Tony looked at her and smiled, knowing she would try her best.

Kate looked on and smiled at her sister's bravery. But something very serious dawned on her at that moment "Wait, where's mom?"

"I have no idea," Winston said back to her and pointed outside. "She just said she wanted to talk to them separately."

* * *

"Hey, wait up!" Humphrey yelled ahead. He hadn't finished completely drying off at the lake and was slowed down by that, and he couldn't keep up with Garth anyhow.

"What?" Garth called to him from up ahead "I still can't 'hear' you over the prank you pulled the other day."

Humphrey saw a trail of dust Garth was kicking up as he ran full speed toward the den.

Humphrey stopped for a moment, remembering what he had planned with his friends. "You still haven't gotten over that?" He shouted back to Garth.

After a moment he heard Garth call back to him "I need my ears to hunt!"

"You know," He once again ran, trying to catch up and finish drying off, "I never found that spider."

This time he heard no response back, but saw Garth standing still, and looking to his right.

"Garth?" Humphrey said to him as he finally caught up.

"Hello, earth to Barf?" He sat next to Garth and waved a paw in front of his eyes, still getting no response.

"So the silent treatment then?" Humphrey asked as he walked around Garth.

"You two are late." They heard a voice call to them.

Humphrey gasped, recognizing whose voice it was and turned to where Garth faced.

Standing proudly and boldly on top of a large rock was none other than Eve. Sunlight beamed down upon her, the wind whisked by her hair and she looked over them with a sense of authority.

"Kinda reminds you of what you used to do, huh Garth?" Humphrey chuckled nervously.

"Is something funny?" Eve called to him, knowing that this wasn't the time for his jokes.

Humphrey rapidly shook his head, but suddenly his fur puffed out from finally being dry.

Garth caught this from the corner of his eye and started laughing at the mishap.

"Garth!" She yelled to him, causing Garth to flinch. "I'd expect that behavior from Humphrey."

Humphrey laughed as well, though he enjoyed being the center of attention, it was fun not being the one that got scolded.

"Humphrey!" She yelled at him, making him cringe. "If you're late one more time, I'll wake up early and drag you here myself, by your tail."

Humphrey looked at his tail and curled it around himself. He liked having his tail, it was the only tail he had.

Garth looked on and smiled, thankful that Eve wasn't taking his side as much as Winston.

"Now, I've heard that you two aren't getting along," Eve hopped down from the rock and slowly walked towards them. "Is that right?"

The two looked at each other, both grinning awkwardly. They knew they hadn't gotten along all that well. They were just at odds with another, the only thing they had in common was Kate and Lilly.

"Well-" Eve said to them again, but this time in a harsher tone.

"We, uh-" Garth stammered.

"Yeah, everything's going great," Humphrey blurted out, hoping Eve would take the bait. "Barf and I are great pals."

Garth gave him a glare at the nickname he was given.

Eve raised her brow, not truly buying into what Humphrey said.

"Yeah, we're great friends." Garth added, he had to keep up with Humphrey's quick wits so he played along.

The two turned to face each other and shook paws, both grinning and turning back to face Eve.

"We'll settle this later." Garth said through his teeth as he shook Humphrey's paw.

"Garth!" Eve heard him and decided it better that she dealt with the situation head on.

The two froze and cringed at the way Eve was walking toward them.

"If there's 'anything' that's going to be settled," She slowly padded up to them, clicking her claws and bearing her teeth "It had better not make my daughters upset."

Eve continued walking towards them causing them to back into a tree. "Because if I hear Lilly or Kate say just one 'little', word about either of you upsetting them." As soon as she finished she lunged at them, both flinching in reaction. It's what she wanted.

By the time she landed she had them both pinned to the ground by the throat. Inwardly she smiled, and to finish her work she uttered a low and intimidating growl.

"Do I make myself clear?" She said to them, grinning the whole way.

They nodded and wheezed, being crushed under her sheer weight.

"Good," She said and released them "Now, run along."

Cautiously, Garth and Humphrey rose to their feet. They took one look at her and then each other and walked away. When they heard a growl coming from behind them they both broke into a run for the dens.

Eve smiled as she saw them continue along the path. She herself had other things to do, and with a simple sigh she trotted down the path. "Ah, in laws," She said to herself "What would they do without you?"

* * *

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum. If you want to keep up with any of the stories follow the community.**

**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Beta Read by:Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


	5. Chapter 5

**I first of all wanted to thank Gordon Pasha, my fellow author in this project. And a big thank you to all the readers. News at the bottom. Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

* * *

**Alpha & Omega**

**:Follow the Leader:**

"So, what do you think, Lilly?" Kate asked her sister as she walked out of the den.

From their meeting with Winston and Tony, Kate realized that both she and Lilly had a very jarring situation to handle.

Finding that Humphrey and Garth were somewhat at odds with each other wasn't unusual to hear, but being at each-others' throats was another story.

"I-uh." Lilly said quietly, dragging herself behind Kate. Being a part of the leading family she knew she would have to take a stand someday, but even she knew that forming a friendship was no easy task.

Kate, walking ahead, easily strode forward and reached the end of the rocky incline at the end of their parents den. Getting there she smiled as she remembered how much she enjoyed the view.

"Any ideas, Lilly?" She asked while smiling at the scene, watching other members in their pack go about their lives.

"Lilly?" After a moment of silence and not hearing anything from her sister, Kate turned around.

Lilly hadn't made it halfway to the end of the overlook, but instead she looked down at her paws with her hair covering her eyes.

"Lilly, what's wrong?" Immediately Kate could tell something was up with her sister.

Kate carefully walked over to her, either fearing that Lilly hadn't said anything, or said something she couldn't hear no matter how hard she tried.

"Lilly?" Kate asked once more, now only about a foot away from her sister.

"I said, I think we should try to get them to be friends." Lilly spoke up this time, clear enough for Kate to hear her.

"Well, yeah." Kate spoke back, looking at her sister's glossy eye barely peeking out from under her bangs.

She could tell Lilly was upset from the whole thing, so she had to think of a way to settle the dispute.

"I say," Kate sat beside Lilly and tried to think of the best solution.

Lilly looked on, awaiting her sister's decision, feeling as though she herself wasn't ready for something as life changing as this yet.

"I got it!" Kate shouted, making Lilly jolt and almost jump back. "We should get them to apologize to each-other."

"Um," Lilly calmly spoke back "Kate, I don't think it'll be that easy."

"What?" Kate quickly snapped back "What could be easier?"

Lilly took a deep breath and pointed towards one of the valley's lakes.

"Remember when you and I were pups and you liked playing in the muddy water?" She asked.

Kate's eyes shot open, remembering a day so far gone it seemed like ages ago. "Yeah, and?" She said nervously, recalling some of her older antics that she put aside.

Lilly smiled, thankful that Kate didn't simply dismiss the occurrence.

Still facing towards the lake, Lilly continued, "Well, remember when you brought me along and I got my fur dirty?"

"Y-yeah." Kate said with a grin starting to form.

Lilly knew she had to get her point across, so she continued "You apologized only because mom told you to, not because you saw it was wrong at the time."

Lilly caught a glimpse of Kate wearing a slightly nervous grin, she knew she had won. Feeling a bit more confident, Lilly started walking up to the overlook.

"I think forcing them to apologize is a bad idea," She said, peering over the edge "We have to get them to see why they need to apologize."

"Alright," Kate sighed "We'll try it your way."

Lilly looked over her shoulder and warmly smiled. Though Kate was always there for her, it felt good to be listened to every now and then.

Kate paced her way back up to the ledge and sat next to Lilly. "Alright, all we have to do is look for them then." She said and scanned the area where she had seen Humphrey last.

"No need." Lilly chuckled, and pointed just to the bottom of a nearby hill.

Kate followed where Lilly was pointing and saw the two wolves in question, both dashing through the area, and seemingly running from something, or someone.

Both Lilly and Kate couldn't help but laugh. They turned to each other and nodded. "Mom," they said to one another in unison, for they knew only their mother would send them back running like that.

Kate, having had enough of the view, decided it best to go and meet them. "Let's go, Lilly," she said and positioned herself in a 'leaping' stance.

Lilly turned just enough to see her sister gracefully leap down and land perfectly just at the base of the rock formation.

"Okay!" Lilly said. She turned and carefully walked around towards the incline leading down. Thought she was happy to have Garth around again, she wouldn't risk a stunt she couldn't perform easily.

* * *

"You think she's chasing us?" Garth shouted and continued his sprint towards Lilly's parents den.

"You want me to look back?" Humphrey yelled back, narrowly avoiding a protruding tree branch as he ran down a worn path.

"If it'll buy me time to get to get to Lilly, then yes." Garth mocked back. He hadn't stopped running the whole way, and he felt out of breath out of fear that a super-predator may be chasing him.

"What?" Humphrey called back "What about Kate?"

"Humphrey!" They heard calling towards them.

Fearing that it may be Eve on their tails Humphrey ran faster than he thought possible, though still clearly nowhere near Garth's speed.

"We're almost there!" Humphrey shouted, believing that getting to the den would be a 'safe' zone of sorts.

Garth just ran ahead, not wanting to look back. His only goal in mind was to get to Lilly, and hope that Eve wouldn't appear any time soon.

Humphrey looked up and smiled, seeing the den come into view. Something else came into his view as well, a large tan sphere, seemingly falling from the sky, was headed right towards him.

"Augh!" He screamed and braced himself for the impact. Before he knew it the tan ball landed in front of him and giggled.

"Kate?" He asked, remembering that she did this once before.

It surprised him the first time he walked out of their den and she just jumped at him. He didn't mind thought, he just told her to 'watch-out for trees'.

"U-huh." She said and walked over to him and nuzzled him.

"How'd the meeting with mom go?" Kate asked, she knew it would be a very interesting story since her mom was in it.

"Oh, you know, the usual" Humphrey said sarcastically and scratched his ear "Loss of back-bone, running for your life, looking over your shoulder."

"Oh, I'm sure." Kate chuckled and motioned for Humphrey to follow her.

Hearing the footsteps behind her Kate continued her debriefing. "You made it on time?"

Humphrey stopped dead in his tracks. "_Moi?" _He called back and pointed at himself "I got there... just in time."

Kate shook her head and marched on, she had to get to Lilly to figure out how to solve the problem, but an idea occurred to her.

"That makes two!" She called back to him, hoping he would take the bait.

"Two?" Humphrey asked and hurriedly caught up with her "Two what?"

'Lilly can try her way, but I still think this might work,' Kate thought and continued walking on.

Humphrey, puzzled as to what Kate was talking about, ran in front of her to stop her.

"Two?" He asked, waving his paws, and wiggling his ears to try to lighten her mood.

Kate giggled at the gesture and smiled back. "That's two apologies you owe."

* * *

**Ch 6 of "Follow the Leader" Will be posted tonight, as well as an all new "Humphrey the Lone Wolf", the marathon will be extended since I missed a day.**

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum at ( forum/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/118805/). **

**If you want to keep up with any of the stories follow the community at ( community/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/102949/).**

**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Beta Read by: ****Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: ****Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


	6. Chapter 6

**I first of all wanted to thank Gordon Pasha, my fellow author in this project. And a big thank you to all the readers. News at the bottom. Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

* * *

**Alpha & Omega**

**:Follow the Leader:**

Garth hadn't bothered to stop running, he was too busy panicking for his life. He hadn't even had the chance to turn around and see if Humphrey was trying to fend off Eve, or had just stopped for a breath.

'Almost there,' he muttered to himself and dashed through the western pack main grounds.

Just up ahead was the one place he felt he could hide away and be safe from Eve's wrath. Just up in the den, he knew he would find his mate and she would be able to help him get away unscathed from the vicious wolf.

Getting closer, Garth saw a small glint of white walking down a path that led towards the mouth of the den. He knew there was only one wolf in their packs that had such a feature.

"Lilly!" He shouted and ran towards her.

Lilly stopped at the base of the slope and looked up. "Garth!" She yelled and ran towards him, wagging her tail happily and smiling widely.

Lilly and Garth ran up to each other quickly and only stopped when they were mere feet apart.

"Garth, you're back!" Lilly said excitedly and went to hug her mate.

Garth willingly returned the gesture and nuzzled her back. "I missed you too, Lilly," he said, thankful that he hadn't been caught by Eve yet, but still feeling the need to be cautious.

"How did things go with mom?" Lilly asked curiously, still clinging onto him.

At the mention of their mother, Garth twitched and looked around hurriedly. "Is she here?" He asked, looking to and fro. He had been late for their meeting, and from the way Eve had pinned him down earlier he wasn't sure if she had quit yet.

"No silly," Lilly giggled softly. "Just my dad and Tony."

Feeling it was time for her plan to come into action, Lilly backed up slightly and released her grip from Garth. Though she didn't want to, she knew it would turn out for the best of their situation.

Though Garth had wanted to stay there with Lilly, he was curious as to why they were called to separate meetings.

"Uh-Lilly?" He started, ensuring that he got her attention.

"Huh?" She turned to face him so quickly that some of her hair flopped over.

Garth chuckled at the occasion and took a step forward. "What did they want to talk to us about?" He asked Lilly as he nudged the fallen hair away from her eyes.

No matter how many times he had done that for her, it never ceased to amaze him how beautiful of a color her eyes were, and she never stopped him.

Lilly smiled widely and giggled a little. "Oh, that," she said nervously and looked towards where Garth had just come from.

Garth looked onward and saw Humphrey talking to Kate about something. Kate was walking towards them, but Humphrey seemed less enthusiastic about something from what he could see.

"We have to talk to them about it first." Lilly said cheerfully. She truly wanted to have Garth get along with Humphrey, but with their personalities it would take something drastic to turn them around.

"Alright," Garth nodded and walked towards them with Lilly by his side.

* * *

"Really, Kate?" Humphrey asked grimly as he trailed behind her.

"U-huh." Kate said boldly as she strode ahead.

"But-" Humphrey stammered out and quickly ran up to her "He started it!"

"And he'll apologize too." Kate called back, just low enough not to reach Lilly and Garth.

Humphrey didn't want to apologize for something he didn't start. He tried being friends with Garth almost as soon as he became Kate's mate. But every time he tried to, something went wrong.

'If it were up to Eve, she'd just throw us in a hole until we worked things out,' Humphrey thought to himself.

"Lilly!" Kate called out up ahead to her sister, seeing her walk with Garth over towards them.

Lilly smiled back and continued to walk alongside Garth until the four finally met face to face.

Deciding to take the lead on the situation Kate was the first to speak up.

"So, I'm guessing you two don't know why mom called you over then, huh?" She asked, focusing her question on Humphrey and Garth.

The two looked at each-other and shook their heads.

Lilly nuzzled up to Garth, she hated being the bearer of bad news. Garth looked down at her lavender, glossy eyes; he couldn't say no to her.

Having caught his attention, Lilly proceeded to tell him what was going on "It's because you tw-"

Kate sighed; she wanted to solve the problem quickly.

"Mom and Dad said you two are getting on each-others' nerves." Kate said bluntly, not letting Lilly take over. She was getting a little impatient, she had other things she had to do; her way, she knew, was for the best.

Garth and Humphrey awkwardly stared at Kate, and then towards one another.

"Oh, come on," Humphrey said sarcastically and walked up to Garth. "This guy's got nerves of steel, look." Humphrey sat next to Garth and started making faces at him.

"Can you stop with the faces?" He asked sternly. Garth, though somewhat annoyed with the gestures, refused to move as it might upset Lilly.

While Humphrey was busy mocking Garth, Lilly slunk over to Kate and tapped her on her shoulder.

"Kate," Lilly asked. "What's wrong with Humphrey?"

Kate took one look back at him and smiled. Her plan to get them to make up for lost time had to work, she couldn't stop now. "Mom scared him," she said back without even attempting to tell Lilly her true plan.

Lilly still didn't believe it. She had known Humphrey from a pup, and he just didn't look like his old happy self. "I mean why's he-" Lilly began.

"It's nothing, Lilly," Kate whispered, cutting her off. "We just have to get them to get along, remember."

"Humphrey, stop!" Garth yelled, making Humphrey stop in the middle of one of his 'faces' with his tongue touching his nose, and his paws opening his eyes wider.

"So what can we do?" Garth sighed, since they were right, he and Humphrey were not the best of even acquaintances. From what he knew about Lilly, he needed to have the chance to work things out, since Humphrey was a childhood friend of hers.

"Well, they gave us the day off." Kate said happily.

"Finally," Humphrey broke away from his 'mockery' and looked towards Winston's den. "Kate, you really could use some vacation time, stress really makes you cranky," he said nonchalantly.

"I'm not cranky!" Kate yelled back, proving Humphrey's point. Realizing she fell into his antics again, she shook her head as well.

Lilly, seeing the situation fall apart more and more, knew it was her time to act. "I have an idea." She said

"Really, what?" Garth responded first, he was curious to see what she had to offer for a solution to their problem.

She turned to see both Humphrey and Kate wore similar looks of curiosity on their faces. Lilly felt a bit bolder about her plan "I think we should go somewhere as a group."

* * *

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum at ( forum/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/118805/).**

**If you want to keep up with any of the stories follow the community at ( community/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/102949/).**

**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Beta Read by: ****Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: ****Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


	7. Chapter 7

**I first of all wanted to thank Gordon Pasha, my fellow author in this project. Thank you all my readers, reviewers, fav's and follows. Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

* * *

**Alpha & Omega**

**:Follow the Leader:**

It was just past mid-day when Lilly proposed her idea. Garth, Kate, and Humphrey sat around her in a circle to listen to her idea.

"Somewhere as a group, huh?" Kate spoke out first. She hadn't known Lilly to be adventurous, and even less so outgoing. Lilly was always sheltered, but now Kate couldn't help but think otherwise.

Had Kate not heard it from Garth herself, she wouldn't have believed that Lilly even went near their packs' borders.

Garth, on the other hand, was thinking something completely different. He wanted Lilly to be happy, and not have Eve at his neck again.

Knowing that things wouldn't get any better without him working with Lilly, Garth only took a moment to think of his answer.

"Sounds great," he answered with a half forced grin.

Upon hearing his answer, Lilly turned to face him with a wide and cheerful smile; even Garth himself couldn't help but turn his fake grin into a smile as well.

As he smiled he knew there was still the problem at hand. He had to try to get Humphrey to see things eye to eye. Though he truly wanted to go with Lilly, he couldn't help but feel as though Humphrey would try to pull some kind of prank on him.

"Well, I could use a field trip, how about you, Kate?" Humphrey said to them as he scratched the back of his ear with one of his legs.

Kate looked on at Humphrey and laughed at his actions, she always thought it was funny when he did something out-of-place for his new status.

"Sure," she giggled in response.

Garth, however, could only watch on in disbelief.

'How can she stand him when he does that?' He thought. Being an alpha, and always having been told how to act well-mannered around others, he didn't just think that it was not funny, but he also thought it was downright out-of-place for his new status.

"So where did you have in mind?" Humphrey asked, breaking Garth away from his train of thought once again.

Hearing everyone agree, Lilly perked her ears up; she didn't expect anyone to take her idea into consideration so quickly.

She giggled slightly and tapped one of her paws against her forehead to think.

"Um." She said aloud while everyone watched on in anticipation.

Wanting to help his mate think of a great place to go, Garth thought of the first place in his mind.

"Well, there's the lake?" He said and gestured towards where he and Humphrey had just come from. "It was empty by the time we left."

Just when he thought Lilly was on the verge of saying something, he heard someone laugh instead.

"Ha, yeah." Humphrey scoffed and managed to catch a glimpse of Garth eyeing him menacingly. Humphrey continued to smile and point down the path "Eve's that way too."

At the mention of this, Garth abandoned his glare and then replaced it with a nervous grin. "Oh, right," he said almost apologetically.

"What about the valley?" Humphrey said back to them "We could do some log-sledding."

He thought his idea would pass, at least with Kate; she had taken a liking to the sport, and hoped Lilly and Garth would want in too.

"Not a good idea," Garth said grimly, and caught a glimpse of Humphrey rolling his eyes in disgust. Though he sighed at the gesture, Garth knew he had to say what was right. "They're probably hunting now."

"Ah, alright then." Humphrey acknowledged quickly, he realized his flaw in the timing and abandoned the idea.

Kate sighed seeing that they were getting nowhere fast, they were burning daylight and she wanted this over.

"Any place in mind, Lilly?" She asked.

Kate, for one didn't particularly have any idea in mind; what she wanted honestly was to put her plan in motion, all she needed was the perfect spot.

Lilly smiled when she heard Kate ask her this. She had an idea in motion, and hoped for the best.

"I was thinking we could go and watch the sunset." Lilly said as loud as she could, though it was only loud enough to barely be heard throughout their group.

Voicing her idea, she received a cheeky grin from Garth, Humphrey seemed to ponder the idea, and Kate stared at her with disbelief.

"Watch the sunset?" Garth responded excitedly, he thought the idea was just perfect as he wanted an excuse to spend more time with Lilly.

"Can't we just do that here?" Kate added despondently, she wanted to find the best way to tackle things with her own style, but she knew it would make things more difficult.

"We've always seen the sunset from here," Humphrey exclaimed. He wanted to go somewhere special with Kate, and thought that this would be a great way to get her to unwind from all the stress of her alpha duties.

Lilly knew that the decision had to be unanimous for everyone to have a great time, so she thought of the one place she could take them.

She smiled and lifted her paw to point at one of the park's mountains. "I wanted to see if we could watch it set from there." Lilly said enthusiastically.

The group traced where she was pointing and soon enough she heard gasps all around.

Lilly had pointed to a mountain that wasn't too far away, but just far enough for them to be able to make it to in a relatively short time.

Thanks to the spring air, the mountain's usually snowy cap now lay mostly empty and with the sun barely just past high noon it shimmered brightly enough to invite them for a climb.

"Up there?" Garth admitted quietly. He hadn't ever considered climbing a mountain for a relaxing afternoon, but now he was intrigued as to why Lilly wanted to.

More so dumbfounded than excited, Kate turned to her sister with a very concerned look. "Lilly, you've never been up there," she said flatly.

Lilly knew that this was true, she had never been somewhere like this before, but she had her reasons. She had the perfect place for them to go and was anxious to see if it were true.

"I know," Lilly quickly and sheepishly said back. "But have you?"

Seeing her sister act so boldly, Kate wanted to know what she had in mind. It was crazy for Lilly to suggest something like this, she was definitely hiding something.

"No," Kate said defensively and looked towards the mountains peak. "But how do you know anything's up there?"

Lilly almost couldn't contain her smile with what she was about to say, the only thing that gave her away was how fast she was wagging her tail.

"Well, mom told me that she and dad went there once!" Lilly said so in a way so giddily that the others thought she was going to explode. "She said there's a good spot to see anything from."

Hearing the rest of the story and no-longer believing that their most joyful member would blow up from excitement, Kate Humphrey, and Garth all glanced at each other.

Lilly noticed that not a single member of their group acknowledged the idea. She felt as though she had missed something, or worse, nobody thought it was good.

"Y-you don't like it?" She asked them shyly and feared the worst.

Garth, having heard this immediately turned to face Lilly with a smile wider than he thought possible.

"Great," he said though he knew that wasn't the word for it. "It'll be perfect!"

"Yeah," Humphrey replied, "I'm up for it."

"Actually, that sounds nice," Kate responded. She meant it, and felt that this would give her the time she needed to set things in motion.

Lilly was happy that everyone agreed on something, she knew she could do this now, she could get Humphrey and Garth to be friends.

However, in Kate's mind, there was something different going on.

'I can't believe they actually agree on something.' Kate thought, she was losing her grip on the situation, but it was still too early to be sure. She still had time, but she'd have to do this by the time they got to this 'special' place on the mountain.

"So when do we leave?" Humphrey asked cheerfully, this idea was so great to him that he couldn't wait to go.

Lilly didn't know how to respond to this. She knew of the place, and that they were given the day off, but she had no idea of how long it should take them to get there.

"Well, um." She stammered to find the words.

Garth, sensing Lilly's apprehension to the subject looked towards where the sun was and how far away their destination was.

"Its noon now," he addressed, pointing his paw toward the sky and drawing a line toward the mountain peak "So if we leave now, we should be back by night."

Lilly silently thanked him for the help; she couldn't have guessed that no matter how hard she tried.

Having everyone on the same page, and seeing no complaints or protests, Lilly stood up and faced a straight path towards the base of the mountain.

"Lets go, then." She said, gesturing for them to join her.

All at once the three stood up and walked toward her. They had only the day to get there and back, and they knew that it was going to be fun.

* * *

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum at ( forum/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/118805/).**

**If you want to keep up with any of the stories follow the community at ( community/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/102949/).**

**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Beta Read by: Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


	8. Chapter 8

**I first of all wanted to thank Gordon Pasha, my fellow author in this project. Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

* * *

**Alpha & Omega**

**:Follow the Leader:**

The group of four headed out into the vast wilderness that was their territory. The sun brightly shown overhead, the sky was clear and their noses all pointed toward the mountain. They were on their way to adventure, they were on their way to an afternoon of relaxation, but they hadn't gotten too far.

The four walked together, with Humphrey beside Kate, and Lilly beside Garth. They were barely out of sight of the dens and already one of them was beginning to get annoyed.

Garth, who had been trying to find the time to talk with Lilly for the past few minutes, rolled his eyes at yet another of Humphrey's jokes.

"Okay, how about this?" Humphrey called out to them enthusiastically. "What do you call a wolf who stalks only wheat?"

Kate, and Lilly were listening in, the had actually enjoyed hearing Humphrey lighten the mood.

"No clue," Kate shook her head and turned to Lilly. "Any idea, Lilly?"

"I don't know," Lilly declared, she was stumped as usual, but was having fun trying to come up with the answer.

She turned to Garth to ask him if he could figure it out, but he didn't seem to be paying much attention to the events.

Humphrey, believing that he had gotten the better of them this time began to smile.

"Give up yet?" He jested.

As he walked beside Kate, he got reassuring nods from both her and Lilly. He was going to ask Garth for a shot at it, but he seemed to be in his own world.

Humphrey shrugged his shoulders and prepared for the last line of the joke, he didn't want to leave his audience in suspense.

He paused for a moment just as they came to a hill that marked the edge of western den grounds. Catching the attention of not two, but all three of his traveling companions, he smiled and gave them the answer.

"A natural bread-eater" He said proudly, and awaited a response from anyone.

A period of silence befell them, and Humphrey could almost hear the wind bowing through the trees of the area.

"Huh?" Lilly and Kate questioned in unison, neither of them got the joke quickly and wanted a further explanation.

Humphrey, though wanting better results, was more than happy to elaborate.

"Predator," He said mockingly and gestured as if he were swiping at something in mid-air. "Bread-Eater?"

Kate herself began to smirk at the idea of what he had said, it was a relatively lame pun, but she enjoyed it none-the-less.

"Oh, I get it now." Lilly giggled, she thought it was clever at least.

Happy that most of his crowd was enjoying this, Humphrey still had one last joke he wanted to try.

"Care for a riddle, Garth?" He asked boldly, he couldn't pass up this opportunity.

Garth took one look away from the mountain, and saw Humphrey with a wide grin on his face, he knew this riddle wouldn't end well.

"Not now, Humphrey." Garth scoffed, he was trying to figure how long it would take them to get to the mountain, he couldn't afford many distractions.

Just as he gave his answer, he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned to see Lilly smiling at him widely with her beautiful eyes drawing his own thoughts away from the task at hand.

"Garth, please?" Lilly asked softly.

Garth knew he was in for it now, he couldn't say no to Lilly. He took in a deep breath and sighed.

"Alright, let's hear it." He said grimly, he knew he wouldn't like it.

Humphrey smiled and silently whispered thank you to Lilly, he hadn't expected her to get Garth to try the riddle.

Humphrey placed a paw on his head and thought of the exact phrase to start the riddle. Remembering how the riddle went, he began to speak.

"Okay, why don't we try this," he said with a sly grin. "Pete, and Repeat went to hunt caribou. Repeat caught a caribou. Who caught a caribou?"

When Humphrey finished the riddle, Kate began to laugh and play-shoved his shoulder. Lilly smiled as she understood the joke well, but wanted to wait and see if Garth could get it in one go.

Garth listened and played the words back in his head. He had the answer easily, but he couldn't figure out why it was a riddle.

"Repeat," Garth said proudly, but he heard giggles coming from around him. He looked around and saw that not only Lilly, but Kate as well, had begun to smirk and snicker.

Humphrey was about to join them but found it too much fun.

"Okay then," Humphrey said once more. "Pete, and Repeat went to hunt caribou. Repeat caught a caribou. Who caught a caribou?"

Garth didn't get it, he was sure he had the right answer. He went over the riddle again and came to the same answer.

"Repeat," Garth said once more, this time he was sure he had gotten it perfectly.

Humphrey couldn't believe that it was this easy to keep this joke going. Lilly was almost on the verge of tears, and Kate was nearly on the ground from how simple the joke was.

"Alright," Humphrey burst out laughing "Pete, and-"

By the time Humphrey got this far into the joke, Garth had finally understood what was going on. He was by no means slow, but as he had never been the kind to care for jokes before he met Lilly, only now did he understand the meaning behind the riddle.

"Okay, I get it." He called to them. He smiled that not only did he get the joke, but he also thought that it was funny.

Garth watched on as the others began to gather themselves from the joke, each having found a different level of hilarity from the whole experience.

Kate had fallen, Lilly was wiping her eyes with her tail, and Humphrey stood on all fours laughing the whole way.

With each of them having gotten their laughs out, they looked on towards their destination.

"We need to get a move on." Garth said with a sense of urgency in his voice, he wanted to spend more time with Lilly and less time waiting around.

He received nods in confirmation and Kate began to speak as well.

"We have a good ways to go," Kate added and turned to Humphrey. "That means no more jokes Humphrey."

Humphrey, knowing that what Kate said was for the best, sat and placed a paw on his chest while raising the other free paw just at his side.

"Wolf-scout's honor, but this is gonna be boring," Humphrey stated and got a good laugh out of Lilly from the gesture. "How about a game to pass the time?"

Garth couldn't believe this, they didn't have time for fun and games, they had somewhere to get to. But before he could turn down the request, Kate spoke up.

"What kind of game?" She asked. She got a look of disbelief from Garth, but wanted her answer anyway.

Humphrey didn't expect Kate to follow his idea, then he thought of something that they could do to pass the time on their travels.

"Yeah, we could always try 'Berry Ball'." Humphrey replied and pointed to a nearby bush covered in blueberries.

Kate turned to the bush and rolled her eyes, she knew Humphrey was still joking with her.

"Humphrey, we can't play 'Berry Ball'," she pointed out. "We have to keep moving."

Kate was right, they had to keep moving. But Humphrey was just having too much fun.

"Extreme 'Berry Ball'?" Humphrey mocked.

Kate shook her head at the idea. She remembered she had played the game before, and it was a lot tougher than she had imagined.

"Since I don't feel like climbing a tree," Kate retorted, "how about 'Pinned Ya'?"

Just as she finished saying this, Kate lowered herself into a crouching position and aimed at Humphrey like she were ready to pounce at any moment.

Humphrey smiled nervously and out of the corner of his eye he saw Lilly laughing and Garth cheering Kate on.

"Wait, that sounds terrible," Humphrey said defensively and threw his paws in front of his face to shield him from the attack, "Lilly and I aren't exactly, you know, alphas."

Hearing Humphrey's plea for her to stop, Kate abandoned her stance and smiled cheekily. She watched Humphrey place his paws back down, though in her mind she thought that tackling him now would still be fun.

Garth, after watching this, thought of something that they could do.

"How about a race?" He asked. Truthfully he wanted to race Kate, but at the same time, let her run ahead so that he could talk to Lilly. Either way, he didn't have to be near Humphrey for the most part.

The group heard this, and only Kate really considered it, she had to talk to Garth and Humphrey alone.

"Why don't we save that for the mountain?" She remarked, she couldn't let Lilly know about her plan.

"Fair enough," Garth proclaimed, he could wait for the chance to prove he was still the fastest in both packs.

As the three continued to talk and find something they could do to pass the time, they heard a voice, small and soft, trying to get their attention.

They all broke away from their conversation to find Lilly, wide eyed and wearing a smile so wide it stretched from one horizon to another, happily giggling and raising her paw.

The others weren't used to her being this enthusiastic about something, but they all tried to go along with it.

"Yes?" Kate asked, somewhat concerned about Lilly's recent overexcitement.

"I know of a good game," she said boldly.

Garth knew that if Lilly asked for something, or had an idea then he'd usually end up following it. But even to that end he still enjoyed making her happy.

"Well, what is it?" Garth asked, curious as to what it might be.

Lilly, after calming herself once more for the third time that day, ensured everyone was listening to her.

"Have you ever played, 'Follow the Leader'?" She questioned.

To her surprise the first one to respond was Humphrey.

"Yea, that's easy," he replied, he knew of the game well enough.

"I don't remember that," Kate responded, she hadn't had time to play any sort of game like that in a long while.

"I've never heard about it," Garth added, he had never had the time to play many games as he always had some alpha responsibility to take care of.

Seeing only Humphrey understood the game, Lilly sat and began to explain the rules.

"It's simple," she started, "All we have to do is pick one of us to be a leader."

When she said this Garth and Kate alike perked up their ears and sat in their best postures, both were sure that they would have unanimous votes.

Lilly continued on with the rules "The leader walks ahead of everyone else, and the others try to copy what the leader does."

After explaining the rules, Lilly looked on and saw how eager they all were to play this simple game, but she knew what was coming with having them vote.

Inwardly she felt bad about what she was going to do, but it was for the best.

"Okay," she gestured for them to sit, "whoever wants leader first, raise your paw."

Immediately all three wolves raised their paws, each of them wanted to take the lead.

Just as Lilly thought, each wolf only raised their paws for themselves. Though Kate tried staring Humphrey down to get his vote, Humphrey only laughed nervously and waved his paw in response.

"So, it's a tie," Garth noted. "Now what?"

Lilly stared at all three of them. "It's a tie, so I'll choose," she said subtly.

Without wanting to say it, he wanted Lilly to vote for him, she was his mate after all.

The three stared on, neither wanting to lose their chance at becoming the leader first. Their hopes lay solely on Lilly who still had her vote.

Lilly carefully looked over them all, each waiting for her to choose them as the de-facto temporary leader. She raised her paw and slowly pointed to one of them.

She heard gasps all around followed by shouts of victory by one wolf.

"I choose... Humphrey," she had said, and though she smiled she knew she would have to make things right with her and Garth.

Humphrey started hopping happily because of his victory, he was sure Lilly would have picked Garth.

"Okay, you heard the lady," Humphrey shouted, he knew he could get away with this because they had all agreed to have Lilly vote, and they couldn't waste much time arguing.

This idea didn't stop him, and he quickly ran ahead of them. He gestured for Kate to follow him and she begrudgingly complied.

As Kate walked beside her smiling mate, she could only imagine how he would not only lead them, but also how he would say his apology.

While the tan and grey couple walked ahead, Garth was still awestruck that Lilly hadn't voted for him. He had been so distracted that he hadn't seen Lilly stand in front to him.

"Come on, Garth," Lilly spoke, tapping his shoulder with her paw once more.

After a moment, he finally seemed to snap out of it and agreed to walk with Lilly. He still couldn't believe what happened, but he wanted to ask her why.

"So, why'd you chose him," Garth asked quietly. "To be the leader, I mean."

Lilly knew that this was coming, and she had all the time she needed for her answer now that it was just the two of them.

"Because I knew he wanted to spend more time with Kate," Lilly said shyly, she didn't want to disappoint Garth, but she still wanted him to trust her judgement.

"Oh!" Garth said in astonishment. Hearing this he realized that Lilly had planned this all along, they had more time to spend with each other now.

Lilly felt as though what she was trying to do was becoming clearer to him and now she could finally say what was on her mind.

"And that means I get to talk with you," she said, and with a smile on her face she was proud of herself for coming up with such a simple plan.

* * *

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum at (forum/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/118805/). Forum games coming soon.**

**If you want to keep up with any of the stories follow the community at (community/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/102949/).**

**Also, check out tvtropes for the AO& fanfics recommendation page!**

**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Beta Read by: Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


	9. Chapter 9

**I first of all wanted to thank Gordon Pasha, my fellow author in this project. Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

**Alpha & Omega**

**:Follow the Leader:**

"Garth, can I ask you something?" Lilly asked meekly, stepping over several broken twigs and stray branches that had fallen from nearby trees.

She had been trudging behind Garth for a moment until her pace was so slow that Kate and Humphrey were out of sight.

She had something on her mind, and she couldn't risk either of the two coming back and hearing what she had to quietly say.

"Huh?" Garth questioned, snapping his head back to see Lilly with her eyes pointed to the ground and not seeming to notice that the others had gone ahead.

He didn't want to let Kate and Humphrey get too far ahead, but seeing Lilly like this, he had forgotten completely that they existed.

"Lilly?" He called back to her and waited for her to respond.

She didn't move from that spot, and for him, this was reason to worry.

He didn't like her being upset about something, he didn't like Lilly having to be saddened at all.

Carefully so as to not startle her or have any cause for alarm, Garth slowly turned and paced towards her and readied himself for anything.

"Lilly, are you okay?" He asked sincerely, he could feel his heart race for some unknown reason. But in his mind he was afraid that her somber stare was a result of his actions.

Shaking the thought out of his mind he pressed forward and quickly reached the somber-looking white wolf.

Upon reaching her he carefully sat in front of her, taking a moment to prepare any mix of questions to help determine her state.

Just as he was about to speak, Lilly glanced up at him. Her soft and gleaming lavender eyes met his in an instant, leaving him completely speechless.

"Garth?" Lilly asked in such a hushed tone that it would have been impossible for anyone else but him and her to hear it.

Garth himself twitched at hearing her voice. To him it was much louder and echoed throughout the wooded area, he immediately ruled out the possibility of her being injured.

"Y-yes?" Garth replied, feeling himself about to reach for his ear in case that voice came back.

Lilly, though not knowing why she saw Garth flinch, felt like it was finally time to ask him what was on her mind, and in her heart.

Right as she was about to ask him, she felt as though she wanted to revert to her shy behavior and look down once more. But as she realized she was staring into his deep and untainted emerald eyes, she couldn't possibly bring herself to try.

Knowing that this was Garth and that she could share anything with him, Lilly continued with a growing smile.

"Why aren't you and Humphrey getting along?" She asked with a tone of deep concern in her voice.

Garth didn't hear that loud and booming voice this time, instead he simply heard the sweet and soft voice of his mate. But what she said made his mind snap back to what Eve told him before.

"Y-you've got it all wrong. We're getting along just great!" Garth frantically shot back, causing Lilly to flinch slightly.

Lilly simply sat there, swaying her tail every now and again. She was only slightly startled from Garth's defensive speech, but aside from that she said nothing.

After a moment quietly shared between the two, and Garth finally calmed down. He realized that this wasn't Eve who was questioning him, but Lilly, and he had practically lied to her.

Hearing his words ring through his head, and knowing that he was wrong, Garth slowly let his eyes droop and tear away from Lilly's smile.

"Okay, okay," He sighed, hoping that Lilly would understand him and forget what he had just said before. "We're not getting along."

Lilly didn't want to interrupt his rant by asking why, but she understood well that there was something that he just wasn't telling him.

Garth felt terrible at what he had said before, but at the same time, he felt angry at the situation he was in now. Lilly was clearly upset, and Humphrey was behind it.

Clenching his teeth, he turned to face Lilly once again. The moment he looked into her eyes, his fierce anger dulled down to nothing more than a passing fit.

"He's just so... frustrating." Garth spoke, holding back the yell that his anger so desperately wanted to produce.

His momentary outburst having come to pass, Garth found himself slowly starting to feel more at ease as he had told Lilly the truth.

Now with him having said what was on his mind, he immediately regretted it; Lilly and Humphrey were friends after all.

"How come?" Came Lilly's innocent and small voice, breaking him from his former thought and making him think deeper as to why he was constantly at odds with the Omega.

He was far from upset at Lilly at the question at hand and instead, he thought back to what it was that Humphrey had done since he met him.

With a sigh and pleading that Lilly wouldn't be upset, he began. "He pulls pranks, he's always going on about some crazy game he and his friends are playing."

Seeing Lilly make no motion to say anything, Garth thought deeper, down to the root of why he even thought this way. He thought until he found the most prominent answer.

Without a second thought, he simply spat out, "He's also rude."

Lilly took all of this in, she wanted to understand why Garth was acting this way and this wasn't the answer she had expected. It in fact was the reality she dreaded, but none-the-less they had to resolve the issue.

She went over each and every reason Garth had to be angry at Humphrey and soon came up with a response that she hoped would work.

To help her make her point, she smiled as brightly as she could. She knew it was something he loved about her, and she would never change that.

"Garth," Lilly called to him, swishing her tail to and fro as she pled her case, "Humphrey's just playing around."

Upon saying this, she immediately put one of her paws up to halt Garth for what she needed to tell him. And as she thought, he was on the verge of saying something that he might have not liked himself.

Having him silenced for a moment, Lilly continued, her voice as mild and calming as ever "I mean, when I try to pull pranks and have fun, you don't seem to mind."

Garth sat in awe at what she had said. She was right, whenever she tried something like that he would get a good laugh at it. Often times he would enjoy it, but with Humphrey that was not the case.

Garth shook his head in response "That's different, Lilly."

"How?" Lilly asked, not even thinking about how the situations were vastly set apart.

"Because-" Garth stammered defensively "Because..."

It was Lilly's turn to shake her head, but she never took her eyes off of his. "Garth, he's not trying to be rude, it's just how he and I grew up."

Garth remained silent on the matter, but Lilly's smile grew wider as she continued.

"He was always trying to make someone else happy. Even if it didn't always work."

Lilly, remembering all the fun times she had as a pup, began giggling slightly as she concluded her speech.

"He just has a hard time being your friend because he didn't grow up with you, he's not used to hanging around any alpha that's not Kate or my mom and dad."

Garth was astonished to say the least. Lilly was right about everything she said. It wasn't that Humphrey was actively picking on him, they just weren't ever able to understand each other in such a short time.

Realizing that there was no place in his thoughts to turn to, he sighed; closing his eyes and flattening his ears to his head, he wanted to find an answer to make Lilly happy.

"I don't want you to be upset," He said somberly, meaning every word. "So what do you think I should do?"

Lilly was glad that he was listening to her. She wanted them to at least understand each other, but even she didn't know what would help them get along.

And after seeing Garth's state of sorrow, she inched herself forward until her head lay on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. In the short time that she had known him, she loved being able to be beside him.

"I don't know exactly," She said honestly, nestling her nose in his mane. "But just try to have fun with us. I'm sure you'll think of something."

Garth didn't know what to say, he wanted Lilly to be happy with him and he would definitely listen to her advice. Though he didn't like it initially, he knew it was for the better.

As gently as he could, he wrapped his paws around her as well. He wanted the moment to never end, but he still had his promise to keep by traveling to the mountain and back.

Finally feeling as though he needed to tell Lilly this, Garth opened his eyes. But instead of seeing Lilly immediately, something far down the path caught his eye.

"Uh...What's he doing?" Garth questioned and tapped Lilly on her shoulder.

"Hmm?" Lilly meekly replied, barely focusing on anything more than her hug.

Reactively, Lilly turned to face where Garth now began to point.

Just further away than they had both expected, they could see a grey figure balancing dangerously atop a fallen tree.

* * *

"Humphrey, what are you doing?" Kate chided, for she had known the moment he became 'leader' that this would be a more difficult task.

He hadn't been paying much attention ever since he took on his role, instead, he had taken to a more serious goal in mind.

"Dancing." Humphrey replied, balancing on his hind legs and tapping them against the log while he waved his forepaws in various motions.

He had, immediately upon becoming their leader, started dancing in some form or fashion. He didn't bother trying to get Garth to join in initially, but he had bugged Kate about it since he began.

Though Kate was amused at the display, she didn't have the kind of time she wanted to ensure her plan was ready by the time they got to the top of the mountain.

She had to hurry things along though Humphrey, being his usual care-free self, was sure to ruin it at this point.

Kate continued her slow pace towards the mountain, not the pace she had wanted to move at, but to her it was okay because it would buy some time to talk to Humphrey before the leader was switched.

"Why are you dancing?" Kate asked, hopping up to the side of the log that wasn't already occupied.

He continued his habit, undeterred by Kate's words or the absence of Lilly and Garth. While thinking of the answer he smiled and hopped his way over to Kate.

"Because the leader thinks it's fun." He chuckled.

Kate didn't doubt that, she thought back to the last time he tried to 'rain dance' when they were heading back home.

But Kate couldn't keep wasting time, and with Garth and Lilly now out of sight, she quickly thought of a way to get her plan in motion.

"If you're dancing then what would that make me?" Kate asked, nearly pouting at her question to make her case look real.

Humphrey turned his head, catching Kate's fake display at acting, though he didn't buy it he still played along.

"My dance partner." He exclaimed happily and slowly shuffled away.

Kate looked at him awkwardly, not truly wanting to dance, but to push her plan into existence.

Shaking her head she took a step forward to get his attention and speak.

"I need to talk to you." She said, taking a tone of urgency in her voice.

Even though she caught his attention, Humphrey continued to shuffle himself backward.

"Nope," He quickly barked. "The leader can't talk to anyone that's not dancing."

"But you were talking to me before." Kate stated, recognizing the flaw in his argument.

Her case being made, Humphrey clicked his nails against the log and crossed his arms. He wouldn't move until Kate either complied and danced with him, or until she got frustrated and tackled him.

"Fine." Kate sighed, knowing that Humphrey was as stubborn as ever.

She then moved closer to him and, using her front legs as support, lifted herself off the log until she was able to stand on her hind legs.

Humphrey grinned and nodded.

"See, now was that so bad?" He asked and waved his paws around and tapped his legs against the log again.

Kate quickly followed suit, attempting to keep the same pace and rhythm that he had.

Soon the duo were somewhat synchronized in their motions, though at times Kate missed a step as she was not always the best at the activity, but she was gradually improving.

Feeling that they had been here long enough, Kate decided to make her plan known once more.

"So are you going to apologize to Garth?" She asked, forcing herself to keep her rhythm.

"What?" Humphrey shrieked, missing a step and nearly falling off balance. He managed to catch himself at the last moment and only ended up on all fours on the log again.

Kate, however, stood tall and smiled. She knew it was for the better that he apologized to Garth, and with Lilly away she could at least get that done.

Humphrey was dumbfounded at Kate's question.

"Kate, I don't remember what I did wrong." Humphrey retorted.

Kate scoffed at his answer "You did put berry juice on his ears."

Humphrey thought for a moment, and soon a smile crept its way to his muzzle.

"It was an accident, we were just gonna make his fur blue," He said matter-of-factly "Shakey was the one that got jittery at the last moment."

Having made his case and having Kate look at him sternly, Humphrey stood back up.

"Oh, besides, did I mention that he hit me so hard I blacked out?" Humphrey added with a nervous grin.

Kate shook her head at him even more as he said this. To her, it didn't matter whether Humphrey started this feud or finished it, she would get them to apologize by any means.

"You still owe him an apology, Humphrey." She scoffed.

"But Kate, I-"

"But nothing," Kate barked back "You owe him an apology."

Humphrey sighed, pointing his head at the log instead of Kate. He didn't like the idea of being forced to apologize to Garth when he did nothing seriously wrong.

After all, to him, Garth was the one that kept avoiding him and neither wanted to even speak to each other on occasion.

Just as he was about to say something back to Kate to further explain his dilemma, he saw two figures step from behind a tree and make their way towards him.

It was Lilly and Garth, and he had nearly forgotten that they were left behind when he was given his role as leader.

"So, what's this?" Garth questioned, seeing Kate and Humphrey stand on the log.

He had been curious as to what antics Humphrey had gotten into this time, and from the looks of it, his explanation would be good.

Kate was about to respond to his question, but Humphrey somehow managed to beat her to it.

"There you are, my loyal subjects," Humphrey jeered. "You're just in time for the last dance of the day."

When he said this, all of their responses were different.

Lilly giggled and walked closer to Garth, waiting by his side patiently. Kate smiled at him, ready to dance as she actually enjoyed the activity. Garth, however, looked at Humphrey like he had lost his mind.

"I think I'll pass." Garth responded, getting sad looks from both Kate and Humphrey. He opened his mouth to say something about the occasion, but felt something nudge his side.

"Please, Garth?" Lilly pleaded beside him, placing a paw on his shoulder and staring at him intently.

"It'll be fun." She added with a smile.

Garth, staring into her beautiful eyes and admiring everything about her, couldn't possibly say no. Inwardly he sighed to not let Lilly see it, and because he didn't truly want to.

"Alright," He fretted "But only because you asked."

Lilly brightly smiled, she didn't know how he would react, but now she was glad that he decided to join them.

Feeling up to the challenge, Garth and Lilly turned to face where Humphrey and Kate now stood.

What they hadn't realized until now, was that Humphrey had already gotten back to his routine with Kate not far behind.

They stood on their legs, balancing atop the log while moving in unison. Neither of them missed a step as they shuffled toward one another, each reaching out to the other with one paw and slowly drawing the other in.

Garth was speechless as the two seemed to have found a rhythm despite his previous notions about Humphrey's clumsiness and Kate's professional attitude.

Lilly was in awe at the spectacle, she was glad to see the two getting along and she soon found herself clapping and even cheering at how happy they seemed together.

After what seemed like an eternity, Humphrey and Kate ended their dance in each other's arms. Both were happy to be together, and neither would change their relationship for anything.

Having had their time to shine now, and wanting to see how the other two would do, Kate and Humphrey turned to a dumbfounded Garth and a very cheerful Lilly.

Though Garth didn't move, Lilly took the opportunity to move right by his side. She nuzzled his shoulder causing him to flinch and look in her direction.

"Our turn." She said with as wide of a smile as she could muster.

Garth tried to find a way out of the situation as quickly as possible. He turned to face Lilly in protest as he had made up his mind.

"I-" He began but was cut short when his eyes caught sight of Lilly standing in front of him and giggling.

His thoughts of backing out of dancing with his mate were silenced as Lilly grabbed a hold of his paw. There was no way he could say no now, Lilly was happier than he could imagine and so was he.

The next thing he knew, he and she were lifting themselves onto their back legs while holding onto each other's forepaws. They rose and held onto each other's sides and, extending one of their paws in one direction, slowly stepped towards where they pointed.

To say that they were both nervous was an understatement as they tried to synchronize their steps.

Garth was taller and took longer steps, and Lilly's tail nearly made her trip when she first started to stroll with him.

Neither of them thought to care if Humphrey or Kate were watching them, instead they focused on having their fun and trying to work together to improve.

Several moments passed and they felt as though they were getting better acquainted with their rhythm. Garth had slowed his steps, and Lilly managed to keep her tail from tripping her.

Though they hadn't originally intended on ending their routine, an uneven patch of grass that they had walked over settled the matter for them.

Garth was the first to lose his balance, stumbling backward but managing to stay standing. He was fine despite his fluke, but his mind went to what he saw of his mate.

Lilly, however, wasn't so fortunate. She tripped as Garth did, but she fell forward towards him. She didn't have time to brace herself or land on all fours.

She gasped as she was about to hit the ground, but instead, she felt a gentle force catch her and lift her back up.

"Gotcha." Lilly heard the voice of none other than Garth call to her.

He had caught her at the last moment and brought her into a deep and much deserved hug.

Thankful that Garth was there for her even for something as small as this, Lilly nestled her cheek into his.

"See, I told you it would be fun." Lilly whispered.

"Uh, Lilly?" Garth spoke, tilting his head toward the sky.

"Yeah?" She called to him as sweetly as she could. She was having the time of her life, but she soon saw a more serious look on his features.

She traced his sight to the open sky, and what she had seen made her gasp.

The sun was now on its slow descent to say its good-bye for the day. The same sun that they had promised to see atop the mountain. Their fun would now have to wait, they couldn't miss seeing the sunset.

"We have to get going." Kate called out to them, having caught wind of the time as well.

"Oh, you're right!" Humphrey added, finally taking his time to pry himself away from Kate's arms. Though he did want to stay there longer, he did want to see the sunset with her from such a place.

"I don't want to miss the sunset." Lilly chimed in. She too had high hopes to witness such a thing even if it were only secondary to her goal.

All in agreement, the group faced toward the mountain and continued their way towards it with Humphrey pacing himself ahead of them.

"Hey, Humphrey." Garth called out, recognizing that he was still technically leading them.

"Yeah Barf?" Humphrey remarked, receiving a sharp glare back.

Garth didn't like his nickname much, and he wanted to snap back. But as Lilly was beside him he took to a better and more calm solution.

"Isn't it someone else's turn to take the lead?" He pointed out.

Both Lilly and Kate stopped in their tracks, they had forgotten all about being chosen as the 'leader' of their group.

Humphrey pondered this for a moment. He had liked being leader, it was fun. But Garth was right, it was someone else's turn to hold that title.

"I guess," He mocked and turned his attention to Lilly. "So do we vote again?"

Lilly looked around to each of them and nodded. She knew what was going to happen next, and she prepared herself to face the consequences as they came.

Motioning all of them to gather around, she patiently awaited for each of them to sit in a circle. Time was short and they needed a new leader quickly to continue playing their game.

"Okay, who wants to go next?" Lilly announced.

Immediately, Garth, Kate, and even Humphrey raised their paws.

Not amused in the slightest, Garth quickly shot him an annoyed look.

"Humphrey you had your turn already." He objected.

Still with a wide grin on his face and hearing laughs from Kate and Lilly, Humphrey slowly lowered his paw to the ground.

"It was worth a try." He replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Having Humphrey out of the chance of voting for himself again, Garth looked to see that it was only he and Kate that were still volunteering for the lead.

Kate also took notice of this, she didn't know what would happen if there were another tie.

"Okay, so if Garth and I vote for ourselves, who is Humphrey going to vote for?" Kate asked, turning to her mate in hopes that he would comply.

Hearing this, Humphrey looked at both of them intently. He raised both of his forepaws and pointed at each of them and began mumbling whatever number came up in his mind.

Knowing that he would drag his joke on for a while, Kate narrowed her eyes at him and took a step closer. Neither Garth nor Lilly had noticed this pose she struck, but it was effective nonetheless.

"My vote goes to Kate." Humphrey said abashedly, raising his paws as if they would save him.

Kate backed down from her stance before anyone could see her and smiled.

"Fair enough." Garth sighed.

After hearing Humphrey's decision, all eyes turned to face Lilly once more, each of them eager to hear her answer.

Lilly glanced around them seeing who she would choose this time. She couldn't choose Humphrey again, but the idea was still funny to her.

She had only one answer that she could think of, and it would be a tough thing to have to say.

"Okay, Lilly," Kate spoke up impatiently, clicking her claws against the ground. "Choose."

Hearing Kate's voice, Lilly snapped out of her thoughts and looked towards Garth.

"I choose..." She began, straining the last word and smiling at the others.

Garth smiled as widely as she did, closing his eyes and awaiting for his name to be called next in line for their game.

"Kate." Lilly spoke quickly and waited for the others to come out of their shock.

"Kate?" Humphrey and Garth shouted in unison, both turning to see the rather stunned and baffled Alpha in question.

Neither of them could believe that Lilly had chosen her sister this time, she could have easily chosen herself or Garth.

Even Kate seemed astounded that she was picked over Garth, it was something she had never accounted for.

Less fortunate and more upset than the others, Garth looked on in disappointment. He was sure he would be chosen this time to be the leader, but for some reason, Lilly didn't choose him again.

Ever so slowly, Lilly cautiously walked up to Garth with a smile. And, ever so slowly, Garth began to smile himself. He thought back to when Lilly had elected Humphrey as the leader, and he was sure that she had some plan in mind this time as well.

"Alright, Kate's the leader now." Humphrey said with a half-smile. He had wanted to say more, but Kate quickly paced in front of him.

She strolled her way to the head of the group, as she was the leader she was obligated to do so.

"Alright everyone," Kate said, pausing for a moment to make sure she had everything in order for her plan.

She turned back to make sure all eyes were on her and, with a wide and somehow eerie smile, she tilted her head toward the mountain. "Follow me."

* * *

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum at (forum/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/118805/).**

**If you want to keep up with any of the stories follow the community at (community/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/102949/).**

**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Also, for anyone interested, there's a fan-fiction recommendation page for A&O on tvtropes now. If you have a chance, you may want to check it out.**

**Beta Read by: Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


	10. Chapter 10

**I first of all wanted to thank Gordon Pasha, my fellow author in this project. Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

* * *

**Alpha & Omega**

**:Follow the Leader:**

Kate had taken to her leadership role quite well as she quickly paced towards the mountain while the others followed suit.

The sun was on its descent to set, and their time was short, they only had a few hours left before it would finally set over their valley.

'I have to speak to Garth next.' She thought, lightly walking across jutting tree roots that made up most of the dense terrain.

She had been planning, and plotting meticulously ever since she had left her home. She had already persuaded Humphrey to apologize and set things right, all she needed to do now was get Garth to do the same.

But she knew that this would be no easy task, she had to get Garth away from Lilly for this to work at all, and prying the two apart just long enough would take more than a little cunning and subtly.

Kate looked over her shoulder at her group, ensuring that everyone was still with her.

Humphrey paced happily beside her, smiling lightly and acting as his usual cheerful self. She always enjoyed when he was smiling, and to show her own appreciation, she smiled as well.

She looked back further to see Garth and Lilly walking beside each other, and Kate could tell her mission would become increasingly difficult.

Garth seemed more focused on the task and destination as he walked by Lilly, his eyes shifted to and fro to take in all the unfamiliar land to help them on their way back. He had to keep Lilly safe, and he wouldn't let anything happen to her under his watch.

Lilly, however, was enjoying herself too much to pay attention to detail. Her eyes darted in every direction to take in all of the beautiful land around her as she had never been here before. Every flower in bloom, every bird that sang, and every stray leaf that fell amazed her more and more.

Kate sighed inwardly, from the looks of things she wouldn't be able to get to talk to Garth alone until they got to the base of the mountain at least.

Just as she realized this a second thought came to mind, she needed to get to the mountain and she needed to get there fast. A small and sly smirk worked its way from her thoughts to her muzzle, she silently hoped that this would work.

With the others distracted and generally preoccupied, Kate steadily increased her pace. She was headed towards the mountain, and she intended to get there with time to spare for her talk.

Humphrey, who had been deep in thought about what Kate had told him earlier, didn't particularly enjoy the idea. In his mind he knew that Garth owed him an apology, he was rendered unconscious after all.

As he turned once more to face his mate in hopes that he could talk with her about the situation, he noticed that she was several feet ahead and getting further away.

"Kate, wait up." Humphrey said with slight hesitation, he wanted to talk and he couldn't afford to avoid this conversation.

Kate, upon hearing him speak, walked a little faster. She just needed to give her idea a little push to bring it to its full potential.

"Humphrey, we don't have time." Kate called back, her eyes never leaving her destination.

Humphrey sighed and slowly increased his pace, he regretted not being alone to talk with Kate, but now she was the leader.

"Aww, come on Kate," He whined and pointed toward the sky "We've got plenty of time, and it's too nice out to run."

Sure enough Humphrey was right, though the sun was on its descent to set soon, they still had time enough to get to a good spot to end their adventure.

Kate didn't bother to turn around, she was too determined to have her goal change in front of her. She had to dismiss the idea, whether Humphrey was right or not, she had to get them to apologize to each other.

Still focusing ahead, Kate thought of something to say that would help her along. Soon, a grin as wide as the valley itself surfaced with her words.

Tilting her head to the mountain top, she cheekily looked back at the group.

Garth had finally begun to pay attention to her pace while Humphrey and Lilly slowly trudged on, this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.

"The leader," She said smugly, aiming her words toward Humphrey but secretly setting them as bait for Garth "Says keep up."

The moment she said this, she caught different glimpses from each wolf.

Humphrey was more than a little bewildered that she would use the same tactic that he did, Lilly eyed her questioningly, and possibly the oddest response of all was Garth's look of astonishment.

Humphrey felt that now would be the best time to tell her what was on his mind, but as he began to do so, a voice not his own came roaring by.

"Oh really?" Garth half shouted in a serious tone, from the way he saw it, this was a call to race.

As if to confirm his thought, Kate jogged forward and grinned back at them.

Garth, now being too distracted by his chance to prove that he was the fastest Alpha in Jasper, began to jog forward as well. He took only a few strides until he remembered something, a certain someone who he needed to always put in the forefront of his actions.

He turned around to see Lilly walking towards them, she hadn't seemed to be in a particular running mood, but he had to ask her anyway.

"Care to join, Lilly?" He asked, hoping that she would say yes and at least have fun in their race.

Lilly perked up when she heard his voice, her white bangs fell across her eye once more as she watched him stand down the path away from her.

"I'm okay," She replied, pushing her hair out of her eye "I could never keep up with Kate."

She did want to run just to have fun, but she knew that the two competitive Alphas would turn their game into a serious bout. She figured she'd sit this one out and let the two have their fun, she still had someone to talk to in the meantime.

With a simple wave from her paw and a cheerful smile, she watched Garth return the gesture and take off gradually on his race.

Garth himself understood that Lilly didn't want to race, it wasn't usually something that Omegas did for fun, but Alphas on the other hand were always seeking competition.

He shook off the thought and quickly made his way towards an increasingly speedy Kate. He would have been more worried about Lilly's safety, but he was close enough that he could be by her side in an instant.

Finally, after several long strides away from Lilly, Garth jogged beside Kate.

"Nice day for a stroll, huh Kate?" Garth said nonchalantly, he was itching for Kate to take the first step to begin their 'friendly' race.

Kate turned her head and she was surprised to say the least, she didn't think it would be this easy to get to talk to Garth, yet here he was oblivious to her scheme.

"Stroll, who said anything about a stroll?" Kate asked slyly, she had the opportunity that she wanted, now she just had to get to the mountain before Humphrey and Lilly.

Garth grinned wider than he imagined.

"Oh, I just thought the 'leader' was up for a quick run around the park." He said, increasing the pace of his jog a little more.

Kate watched him and began to run a little faster herself.

"Really now?" She shot back sardonically.

She hated to admit that, despite her nearly becoming Garth's mate, she enjoyed his presence in their combative state.

By now the two were practically stepping in synch, each focused on their destination.

"First to the base of the mountain." Garth called out, feeling himself nearing the peak of his speed.

Kate chuckled at the short distance, she didn't think that this would be that difficult to outrun Garth but she still wanted to have her fun.

"Like that's a challenge." Kate laughed, a mere step ahead of Garth.

"Not for me it isn't." Garth shouted, breaking away from Kate and narrowly avoiding running into a nearby tree.

The two ran as quickly as their paws could carry them, each determined to get to the finish first, speeding down the path and kicking a trail of dust and debris wherever their paws landed. Neither wanted the other to win on their short trek, but both were having the time of their lives.

* * *

Having once again removed her hair out of her eyes, Lilly looked on cheerfully with a small sigh.

Though she wanted to be constantly at Garth's side, she knew that this was for the best for now. She couldn't keep him from his competition with his rival, and she had something equally important to do herself.

She turned to see Humphrey who, just as she had been, was watching the two race away like pups fighting over a stick.

Even without Garth around, she was still happy; she still had Humphrey to talk to, and this is just what she needed.

"Humphrey, are you going to run with them?" Lilly asked with a sweet and gentle smile.

Humphrey, now remembering that he wasn't alone, quickly glanced over to where Lilly's voice came from.

His eyes met hers and he was glad that, despite Kate's rivalry with Garth, he was still friends with Lilly.

He grinned at her sight and thought about her question, he needed a witty remark, and he knew just the one for the occasion.

"What? And miss out on such a nice day?" Humphrey lifted his paw and pointed toward where he had last seen Kate and Garth's figures disappear.

"I've got all the entertainment I need watching them." Humphrey added, tilting his head toward the speeding Alphas.

He had to admit that, despite his need to talk with Kate, he still would rather her have fun on her day off.

While thinking of this, he heard Lilly lightly giggling beside him. He felt a twinge of pride as he always liked making others laugh, it was one thing he was always good at.

But still, with Kate not being around, he reminded himself to ask Lilly something that had been bothering him.

"So, Lilly," Humphrey began "Why did you choose Kate back there?"

He was curious as to why, unlike him, she hadn't chosen her own mate.

Lilly perked up at hearing this, thought she didn't want to say what she had in mind immediately, she knew that Humphrey would understand her answer; all she had to do was find the right words for the occasion.

Keeping up with Humphrey's pace, she thought back to why she did and, with a warm smile forming on her muzzle, she turned back to him.

"Oh, that," She began with a giggle. "Well, Garth did say that he wanted a chance to race against her a few days ago."

Humphrey raised a brow at the idea, he knew Kate was always competitive, but now that Garth had become a regular in their lives her competitive side was in full swing.

Humphrey felt himself smile a little as he remembered how she had, since they had become mates, tried to pester him in a race. She had won every time that he didn't find a shortcut that she didn't know about.

"He wanted to prove that Kate couldn't keep up with him." Lilly said, motioning for Humphrey to walk with her to catch up with them.

Humphrey, not wanting to keep Kate waiting at the finish line, quickly found his pace and walked beside Lilly to their destination.

"Just think," Humphrey smirked, thinking about the two at their hunts, "if they put this much competition in their working together, there wouldn't be a caribou left."

Much to Humphrey's surprise, Lilly began wildly giggling at the statement, even he didn't think it was too funny.

He stood there for a moment in complete awe as Lilly toppled over with laughter. This was something he had never seen her do before, and a moment he would definitely not forget between the two of them.

'Gotta remember that one.' Humphrey noted as Lilly slowly calmed down from her laughing fit.

Having relative silence pass between them, and finally having recovered from her embarrassing moment of laughter, Lilly had something she had been meaning to ask Humphrey for a while now.

"Um, Humphrey?" Lilly asked shyly, she knew Humphrey as her best friend but as Garth wasn't around she started to revert back to her former shy self.

Just a few steps ahead of her, Humphrey looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"Well, last time I checked I was." He replied.

Lilly laughed a little at the joke, she always enjoyed how he made light of any situation no matter how dire it was; always the same Humphrey no matter how many times something happened.

"How are things going with you and Kate?" Lilly asked with a hint of confidence on the rise in her voice.

It was Humphrey's turn to perk his ears up at the question. A bright smile quickly washed over his face and he began to speak.

"Things are great!" He shouted excitedly, casting his gaze beside him as if Kate stood by him proudly.

He took a few steps toward where they had run off to and waited for Lilly to follow, but in his mind, he was too excited to stop his conversation.

"You know, ever since I got back from Idaho, I couldn't stop thinking about her," Humphrey stated with all the sincerity he could muster "I'm just glad that everything turned out okay."

In his rant he hadn't noticed that Lilly, while walking to catch up, had done the same thing as he did. She had her head tilted to the side, wanting Garth there with her, but she would have to catch up with him first.

"I'm just glad you decided to come back." Lilly said with a bright smile and walked beside him, "Thank you, Humphrey."

"For what?" Humphrey asked, bewildered at the statement as Lilly headed towards the mountain.

Lilly offered him a cheeky smile in return "Getting my sister to see that she was supposed to be with you."

Humphrey was at a loss for words, he didn't expect Lilly to say something like that, but he was happy that she did. But still there was something that, because he finally had time to catch up with her, he needed to ask.

"H-hey, Lilly," Humphrey began quietly "Can I ask you something?"

Lilly picked up her ears when she heard Humphrey calling her, she found it strange that his voice seemed so far away when he was practically beside her.

She glanced over to him to find his eyes half as gleaming as they did moments ago, there was something wrong and she knew it.

She slowed her stride and thought of how to answer. "Yeah, anything."

He looked up the path to see neither head nor tail of the alphas that were escorting them. He did like having them around, but right now it was better that the two were out of sight.

Humphrey slowed his jog to a slight crawl and soon halted his motions all together.

"Why does Garth hate me?" He asked quietly, barely able to even keep eye contact with Lilly.

"Hate you?" Lilly shouted, completely surprised at the accusation by her friend. She didn't mean to shout exactly, but she couldn't help her tone of voice concerning her mate.

Though Humphrey heard Lilly's tone, he didn't particularly focusing on hearing it, he was steadily looking down at some stray rock at the base of a tree.

"Yeah." Was all he could say.

Lilly immediately forced herself to stay calm, she didn't want Humphrey to feel alienated as she had once been herself. She took a deep breath and tried to sort out the problem.

"Why do you think he hates you?" She asked, deeply concerned that it may have been from Garth's former insult.

Humphrey didn't even bother trying to look towards Lilly, instead he swept his paw at some of the rocks he was looking at.

"Whenever I'm around he's always angry." Humphrey explained further, shuffling the rocks around, "He doesn't like any of my jokes, and he's always snapping at everything I say and do."

Lilly sat in wonder at Humphrey's words, she never thought that he felt guilty about trying to cheer someone up before, but now she could see why.

From just this simple talk, Lilly could see that the two were at odds with each other not because they hated each other, but because they just didn't understand each other's lives.

"Humphrey," Lilly giggled, having realized their dilemma, "Garth doesn't hate you."

"How do you know?" Humphrey asked, confused as to why Lilly was giggling now as opposed to sympathizing with him.

Lilly walked up to him and gently placed a paw on his shoulder, he had no choice now but to pay complete attention and look her in her eyes.

"Trust me, he and Kate get along because they're always competing with each other." She said warmly "He grew up differently than you and I did, he wasn't used to having Omegas as friends."

Humphrey looked on questioningly, he had never thought about this from Garth's perspective. He himself was always having fun and even at times got Kate to join in, but Garth's life was full of responsibilities that he never knew the likeness of.

The two by no means were truly friends, but this only meant that they had somewhere to start.

Having said this, Lilly was delighted to see Humphrey on the verge of a smile like herself.

Happy that she was able to speak even a little sense to him without trying to have her own way of doing things, much like her sister, Lilly took her paw off of his shoulder and reached down to the rocks he was idly shifting around.

Humphrey sat and watched as Lilly took the rocks and dug them lightly into the ground. One by one she arranged them to form something akin to a 'U' shape with two lines hovering above it.

It took him a moment to recognize what Lilly had drawn, and he, just as Lilly and the picture before him, couldn't help but smile.

Having had her fun with playing in the dirt, Lilly carefully laid the rocks aside, "All you have to do is show Garth how to have fun. I'm sure he would like log-sledding if he gave it a chance."

Though he didn't want to say it, Humphrey knew Lilly was right, but he couldn't help but to lighten his own mood.

"I think having Barf in a sled would ruin the fun." He said matter-of-factly, turning his gaze from the smiley-face towards Lilly's own genuine smile.

Lilly couldn't help but chuckle at the nickname that he had given her mate, she knew he didn't particularly enjoy it, but she couldn't explain her actions at the word.

Feeling well accomplished from getting in a few jokes, and now with a new goal to find a common ground between them, Humphrey stood up and tilted his head toward the base of the mountain.

"I think we need to catch up to them." He said confidently.

No sooner than he had done this, Lilly stood up herself, getting her hair once again stuck in her eye.

She didn't linger in fixing it for now, but instead, she simply trailed behind her friend. She hoped that her idea would work.

* * *

Having been at their race for the past few minutes, Kate and Garth were wildly speeding down their path, each determined more and more to prove that they were Jasper's top alpha.

"I bet you can't keep up!" Garth shouted.

He had taken to the ground as he wasn't trying to exhaust himself with unnecessary acrobatics, instead he worked on his expertise in crossing all kinds of terrain to his advantage.

He nimbly ran across the rugged ground, avoiding sharp and unpleasant rocks and bushes that would slow down any other wolf that didn't have the same or relative skills he did.

He came across a small thicket of trees in his way and would ruin his selected path, but with blinding speed, he rounded them easily and continued his way toward the finish line.

"So says the one who missed the caribou just the other day." Kate yelled back.

She had taken a much different route as she didn't want to be bothered by unpredictable terrain, instead she had leapt onto the first tall tree she could find and made her path through the canopy in the woods.

She leapt with both caution and finesse to any branch that she deemed suitable enough to support her weight, she had to be precise in her landings, she refused to let Garth beat her.

Her heart raced as she jumped, spun, and twirled her way through branches and pine leaves. Had she not been trained to be as athletic as she was, she would have never even dreamed of taking such an adventurous and unhindered path.

Garth, though running at full speed and tearing through a berry bush like a wild animal, managed to hear Kate's shot at his previous hunt.

"My ears were burning." He shouted, as he landed, covered in twigs and blue berries of some sort.

He didn't have time to clean off his fur, but the moment he felt his paws hit solid ground, he leapt towards a nearby tree, tilting himself just enough to where any debris was quickly wiped away from its low hanging branches.

He had his momentum going and he couldn't stop now, he was nearly to their goal. As he landed, fur brushed and free of debris, he tore off in the direction he last saw their finish line.

It was around this same time that Kate had found herself in a bit of a pickle. Garth was ahead of her by only a few yards, and due to her having to compensate for each tree branch individually, she was losing ground.

She had to think of something, and she was running out of trees to leap on as they got closer and closer to the mountain.

Against her plan to keep to the trees, Kate leapt down from the canopy onto a large boulder near the end of their path. She landed perfectly on its surface and rebounded off its face as she tried to figure out how to win now.

She was a few meters behind Garth now and it seemed as though he would win their childish race, but she still had a problem that needed to be resolved, and she dared not go home without fixing it.

With a devious smile, and feeling her mind race as her adrenaline kicked in for the last leg of their race, Kate shouted "Hey, aren't you going to apologize to Humphrey?"

Garth, though only a few yards away from emerging out of the forest that was once their race track, turned in shock at the question.

"What?" He asked, confused as to what Kate was asking him.

Had he been paying attention at all, he would have noticed a rather sturdy tree that had somehow wedged itself between him and the first few rocks that made up the mountain's base.

Kate nearly shouted for him to stop, but it was too late.

She heard a loud crash and the unmistakable sound of wood splinting as it was being snapped in two.

Her face scrunched as she witnessed Garth going head first into the unmoving, and now indented tree.

His form went tumbling backward and he soon fell on his side into the much softer and grassier earth.

Kate immediately rushed to his side to see if he was okay, but much to her surprise, Garth seemed to only be stunned by the impact as he was already scrambling to his feet.

Taking this opportunity to gain the lead, Kate re-routed her course just beyond the now imprinted tree. She didn't even need to run as Garth was shaking his head and only now seemed to be moving towards her.

Finally, and at long last, Kate touched the first rock at the base of the mountain. She smiled at her accomplishment and looked towards its peak as she heard Garth's footsteps lightly approach her.

"Told you I'd win." She said proudly with a toothy smile.

Garth, who hadn't been able to focus much between the tree and now, slowly recalled what Kate had asked him.

"What do you mean apologize to Humphrey?" He yelled, feeling a slight pain in his head and forcing his paw there to soothe it.

This was Kate's chance, she could finally get him to agree, but she had to do so quickly. She couldn't risk having either Humphrey or Lilly catch onto her plan.

"Well you did knock him out." Kate retorted.

Garth rubbed the sore spot on his head and thought back to why he even did that.

"There was a spider on his head, and he poured berry juice in my ear!" Garth replied, clasping one of his paws to his ear to visualize his protest.

Kate rolled her eyes at the gesture "And he's sorry for it, I'm sure."

"Kate, what he did was wrong," Garth pointed out and then faced towards where they had come from. "In fact, he owes me an apology."

Kate nearly took a step back when she heard this. She did expect Garth to want an apology, but with Lilly knowing her idea, her plan would all but fall apart.

She had to do something, Lilly and Humphrey would be showing up soon. She had to work quickly, the sun would be setting within an hour or so. She had to get Garth, as well as Humphrey, to apologize for their actions without fail.

As she went over her plan, with time ticking away, she came to one conclusion. She couldn't get either to do what she wished if she couldn't get either to cooperate.

Kate stood up and sighed.

She nearly bit her tongue for what she had to say next, but she needed Garth to keep to his word.

Kate rolled her eyes and looked down the path "Fine, I'll get him to say sorry."

Though her eyes were focused on where she was sure the other two would emerge from, she heard Garth scoff at her words, this was something that she couldn't have.

"But only if you do the same." She added quickly, the two had to apologize to each other for this to work.

Garth paused for a moment, he was skeptical to say the least, but here Kate was helping him into getting Humphrey to say that he was wrong.

If he could get Humphrey to say that he was wrong for what he did, then he would have to at least say the same for his mishap.

"Alright," Garth said, extending his paw in agreement, though not entirely liking it. "It's a deal then."

Kate looked down at his paw, had she not been so sure her idea would work, she wouldn't have thought twice about shaking his hand.

"Deal," Kate said, however reluctantly she may have been, she conceded to the agreement and extended her own paw.

As the two shook, Kate noticed two figures beginning to emerge from the line of trees that made up the border of the forest. It was Humphrey and Lilly, and they had finally arrived.

"Took you two long enough," Kate called out to them as they walked a little closer.

Humphrey looked up to Kate with a wry grin. "Yea, we just wanted to take the scenic route, and trust me when I say it was easier and interesting."

Just beside him, Lilly's form appeared, giggling as she went by "Yeah, we found a blue painted tree just over there."

Kate looked over her shoulder with a nervous grin, Garth had just finished rubbing the sore spot on his head from the crash, she couldn't tell them that such a work of art was just an accident.

"Yeah, that's great," Kate chimed in, changing the subject to avoid the embarrassing details of the tree, "but we have to go."

She then pointed up ahead to the mountain. The sun was high above them and it was already resting its light atop the mountain's peak.

They had little time to spare to get a good spot and that was a priority for them now, Kate's plan and Lilly's hopes were riding on it.

All the wolves, aside from Garth who simply looked up still slightly dazed, nodded their heads in agreement.

Kate turned to face the next phase in their journey, and she was ready to accept the challenge head on, that is until she heard someone calling her.

"Kate, Kate, Kate..." Humphrey said in a playful manner, running to her side in an instant.

"Yeah?" Kate said back in a manner slightly flustered, she had work to do and a mountain to climb, she couldn't keep stopping for every little thing.

As Humphrey approached, he saw through her clever attempt to continue her role.

"Isn't it someone else's turn to lead?" He said in a childish manner, getting gasps from Lilly and Garth as Kate's jaw fell open.

She grinned nervously as she got glares from all around and, as if to state her defense, she looked once more to the mountain.

"But we're so close." Kate pouted, hoping that it would let her continue as the leader.

All the wolves, and even Garth this time as he had finally recovered, exchanged glances and shook their heads.

"Come on Kate, give someone else a turn." Garth advised, practically itching at his chance to take the lead.

Hearing this, Kate sat down and tried to further explain why she needed to take the lead.

"But I-"

She was promptly stopped by Humphrey as he moved to sit by her side.

"Kate, Garth's right, for once." He chided, getting awkward looks from Kate and Garth respectively. Neither expected him to agree with Garth, but both failed to see Lilly beaming with a bright smile.

"We need a new leader as was agreed in the rules." Humphrey said, enjoying the experience to the fullest as it was payback to the same thing that Kate had done.

As he said this, he lifted a paw to his chest and grinned "I'd be more than happy to-"

"Humphrey..." Kate eyed him playfully, she understood what he was saying and stopped trying to take the leader's role.

"Okay, okay." Humphrey chuckled back to her.

As the wolves were already gathered together, Lilly knew that this would be the last time that they could vote, it would be the last time that they could choose a leader.

It was a dilemma that couldn't be avoided, but still, Lilly wanted the best for the group no matter what.

"Okay, so now we have to vote between me, and Garth." She said cheerfully. She wanted to make things as fair as she could, anything else wouldn't be good for anyone.

Before she could speak another word, she got responses from all around.

Kate raised her paw, "I vote Garth."

Humphrey raised his paw as well, "I choose Lilly."

As the other two said this, Garth raised his hand as well, but couldn't find what to say.

If he chose himself, then he would look selfish. But as they were, they were climbing a mountain now and anything could happen.

Slowly, and unsure of how to answer, Garth lowered his paw and sat in silence. He didn't want to seem unfair, and he couldn't choose what to do at the time.

Lilly all too well knew what this meant as Humphrey and Kate looked questionably upon the proud Alpha. It was her turn to cast her vote, and she had only one answer.

As excited as she could be, Lilly raised her paw.

"Garth can have my turn." She said warmly, and waited for the others to snap out of their collective awes.

"What?" They all questioned in unison, none of them could quite figure out why she always avoided herself.

Garth, being the most confused of the three and despite his minor headache, leaned over to ensure that she was feeling alright.

"Are you sure Lilly? Are you okay?" He asked in a random fashion, stumbling on which he wanted to hear first.

Lilly nodded and waited for everyone to calm down so she could tell them why.

"We're climbing the mountain," she said softly and sweetly, pointing ahead to the rough terrain and overall high elevation "I'd rather have you take the lead."

Garth was astonished at this, Lilly had given him the lead for a reason, just as she did with the others.

He turned to see Kate and Humphrey nod in unison at the statement, Lilly was right once more to have chosen the next leader for their group.

Garth felt an overwhelming sense of pride as he was finally in the lead, though he was an Alpha already, he wanted the chance to prove that he was fit for the role in their group as well, even if it was for a short time.

With no form of protest and with their sunset only a short time away, Garth walked up to the first rock that would begin their path up to the mountain top, he could easily navigate its terrain and would get them there quickly and safely.

He looked back to the group he would be leading and smiled, ever thankful that he had Lilly there to help him.

"Let's go then." He tilted his head up the path, ushering them to follow. "We've got a sunset to catch."

* * *

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum. If you want to keep up with any of the stories follow the community.**

**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Beta Read by: Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey all, DLW here with a new update to the story. We're nearing the end and you definitely won't want to miss the last chapter, news and updates at the bottom.**

**I want to thank Gordon Pasha, my fellow author in this project.**

**Disclaimer: Alpha and Omega is copyrighted by Lionsgate and Crest Animation Studios. I claim no ownership on the characters portrayed in the film, only my O/C's.**

* * *

**Alpha & Omega**

**:Follow the Leader:**

The group had been climbing the mountain for only a few minutes now, and each of them were surprised at how the terrain had become increasingly difficult.

From the less rocky and easy to climb base to where they were they were now was a staggering pace. None of them could have been prepared for such a feat, but they had to press on.

"Watch your footing." Garth called behind him to his fellow mountain climbers.

He was glad that he was in the lead this time as he traversed the terrain, as sure-footed as he was even he had troubles now and then; for just as he finished warning his team, his paw landed on a loose rock that gave-way and tumbled down the cliffside.

He peered over the ledge, happy that he was standing where he was and not careening to his untimely demise below. From what he could tell, and the light gasps from behind him, they were a good distance from safe ground.

Despite the unnerving pace and the thrill of climbing such a dangerous mountain, not everyone was completely happy with the situation at hand.

'Why do I have to apologize?' Humphrey said to himself, deep in thought about what to do. He had, ever since Kate had talked down to him and Lilly had spoken a deep truth about his situation, been at odds with himself.

He trailed idly at Kate's side, focusing intently on where they were going so that he didn't fall to his demise as he had seen Garth nearly do moments ago.

He hated to admit that, despite Lilly's words of wisdom, he still didn't feel up to having Garth as a close brother-in-law. It's not that he wanted to be alienated, but with being forced to apologize for some simple prank, he couldn't see any reason to apologize.

As he walked on the outer part of the ledge with Kate moving at the same speed, he glanced over toward her. He wanted to say something to get Kate to be on his side about the situation, but as he did, she glanced toward him out of the corner of her eye.

He stopped all sense of getting his words out and instead he faked a simple smile, and much to his surprise, Kate warmly smiled back.

'It's almost over, this will work,' Kate told herself as she forced herself to smile as if it would cover up her scheme.

She didn't want Lilly catching on to her ploy, and she was glad that she trailed behind slightly with Humphrey at her side. She was getting more and more nervous about what would happen, but as Humphrey smiled at her, she couldn't bear not to return the gesture.

Feeling better and assured that this would go without fail, Kate's smile soon fell. She realized what kind of deal she made with Garth, she already had Humphrey's promise that he would apologize.

She turned hopefully to the pair casually walking just in front of them and sighed. 'I just hope he keeps his word.'

She didn't know what to think if Garth wouldn't keep his end of the bargain, but she could only hope, Alphas were supposed to keep their promises after all.

Just as she was mulling over this thought, she heard the sound of rocks falling mixed in with a sharp yelp, she saw Garth quickly lean over and fall back for some reason.

Kate prepared herself for anything that could possibly happen, and immediately looked around them to see what was going on. Her eyes first landed on Humphrey who was just as surprised about the sudden stop as she was.

Seeing nothing wrong there, her sudden fear forced her to turn to see where her sister was, and much to her gratitude, she was right by Garth's side. The only problem was that Lilly was practically clinging to him like he were about to disappear.

"Uh?" Kate and Humphrey muttered in wonder at what was going on between them.

They walked closer to get a better understanding of what had happened, and to their horror, Lilly was partially suspended in mid-air. Part of the path that they were walking on had crumbled under her and Garth barely managed to get a hold of her before she fell with the now broken walkway.

"Woah!" Humphrey said in shock.

At first glance the path seemed sturdy and stable, but from the hole that Lilly stood over moments ago, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that this wasn't the case.

Kate and Humphrey paced forward quickly as Garth walked back to bring Lilly on solid ground once more. She immediately hopped down, wide eyed and completely stunned that the event occurred at all.

Lilly was thankful that this wasn't her last time by Garth's side, but she couldn't quite figure out which one made her heart race faster, the fact that she was nearly lost, or the fact that Garth was there for her.

"Are you okay?" Garth said in a panicked tone, he had reacted so fast that he didn't even think about what had just happened until now.

Lilly was stunned for a moment, she couldn't believe what happened. Shakily and with an awkward series of nods she responded in as small of a voice as she could muster "I'm fine."

Though not truly believing that she was okay, Garth was more than happy that she was still with him. He was just as shaken by the situation as Lilly was, but he wouldn't dare show it, it was an Alpha's job to stay calm.

After taking into account Lilly's near mishap, Garth turned to the path that they walked on moments ago. He narrowed his eyes and examined every spot more carefully than he did before.

Just to his left, on the inside of the path, was the hole that had crumbled and fell. Its pieces had tumbled swiftly down the face of the mountain and became one with the gravel and stones at its base.

Garth shuddered at the thought of what may have been, and continued to eye over the path.

Just next to the hole was where he stood, solid and unshaken ground. Parts of this small path had several spots that looked well-worn and somewhat dangerous to their journey.

It was then that Garth concluded that this area was nothing more than a thin plate of a path, it was definitely a climber's worst nightmare and something he didn't want anyone to try walking over at all before it was tested.

"Okay, maybe this is dangerous." Garth said, more so talking to himself, but as he was too deep in thought his voice reached everyone in the group.

And as his voice echoed off the cliffside, he immediately regretted speaking a word.

A plethora of sighs ensued, but the one that he noticed out of all of them was a more disappointed and lesser heard sigh.

Garth looked over his shoulder to see Lilly, hair covering her eyes and her gaze cast at the ground. This was something that he didn't like, he didn't enjoy seeing her upset.

"So, we can't go then?" Lilly asked, barely lifting her head to see him or anyone in particular. Her heart was set on the destination, but their journey seemed at an end abruptly.

By no means was she selfish, Lilly wanted to have them all go to this secluded spot to see the sun, but now she wasn't sure. She didn't want the others to see her so she let her hair fall as if it would shield her sorrow from their piercing stares.

As she sat there for a moment mulling over her thoughts, she felt something touch the tip of her nose. Soon, her veil of hair was lifted from her eyes and she could see clearly once more. Standing in front of her with a bright smile was none other than Garth.

"I didn't say that." Garth said proudly, enjoying the sight of Lilly's eyes and her smile more and more. He couldn't bear seeing her down, and took it upon himself to find a better answer.

While Lilly was contemplating on what to say, she caught a glimpse of Kate walking past her.

"What do you propose we do then?" Kate asked, curious as to what their course of action would be now. She was equally nervous as she was nearing the peak of her plan.

Garth grimaced at this response. He wanted to talk more with Lilly and now he couldn't, he had to find a way to get them across the path without fail, though he still had no idea of how.

He turned to face the path, not keen on any ideas as how to approach this and get them all across safely, but still he had to keep his promise to Lilly and get them to the top.

He casually strolled up to the spot that he stood in before when he managed to barely rescue Lilly, and he examined the area once more.

He didn't know how to tell what had easily caused the area to crumble and collapse, but under his own four legs the pathway didn't collapse.

Then an odd idea hit him, he smiled and looked back toward the group with confidence.

"I think this might work." Garth said, taking his forepaw and stepping closer to the spot that Lilly had broken. The moment his paw came down, just next to the hole, the ground crumbled just as it had before.

The others gasped in unison as they believed that Garth had gone mad and tried to force the path to collapse, but it was not so. Garth had simply crumbled the weaker spot of the path with sheer force behind his step, but he himself remained on the sturdy part of the path.

"Garth," Lilly yelped in shock, but quickly silenced herself as she realized what he was doing, Garth was finding the faulty spots on their trail.

"This isn't half bad," Garth replied, looking back to the three and ensuring them that they would be fine "We just have to watch our footing here for weak spots."

He was sure that this would work indeed, he wasn't one to lead others to their untimely fall, and he wouldn't let anyone fall because of his mistake today.

"HA!" Humphrey shouted, attempting to brush off his nervous stance. "You mean to tell me that this is dangerous?"

"Just keep close," Garth chided, not wanting to stay on the path for too long as he continued taking small steps to ensure that it was stable.

Hearing only the light footsteps of the other wolves, Garth knew he was now responsible for their lives, if he let anyone down then it would be the last for them potentially.

He moved at almost a crawl, lightly stepping in the spots he had already tested as safe and striking his paw on others that he couldn't determine.

Several times when he struck the foundation of the pathway, small holes formed in his way, it may have startled him and the others, but it was the safest way for them to cross.

Soon, after several minutes of leading them across the terrible terrain, Garth felt the ground becoming more and more stable, they were finally across to the safer spots on the trail.

"It's okay now, guys," Garth called out behind him "Just make sure you cross where I walked and you'll be fine."

He heard a sigh of relief as Lilly, who was only a foot or so behind him, had practically hopped to his side once more.

She didn't mind trailing him, but she didn't want to stay on the dangerous path any longer than she had to.

Just as Lilly had made it, Kate was only a few feet behind her. She did as Garth had said and closely followed his trail until the end where he deemed it safe enough to continue without fear of falling.

"That wasn't all that bad." Kate said happily, she was glad that Garth figured out how to get them here safely.

She looked ahead to see Garth with a wide and smug grin on his face as he was proud to have lead them this far.

Though Lilly was in awe, Kate rolled her eyes at the gesture, she had more important things to take care of.

She looked down the now broken and hole-filled path to see Humphrey nearing the end.

"What do you think, Humphrey?" She giggled, watching him stare at each and every crack and crumbled rock like a fascinated pup.

"It's not bad," Humphrey spoke back, not lifting his head for a moment out of fear that he'd slip "I've always said that dangerous roads build-"

Just as he was finishing his witty comeback, Humphrey's paw fell onto one of the weakened spots that Garth had made from testing the path.

He soon found himself falling over and partially into the spot as the rest of his form followed. And, as quickly as this happened, Humphrey was now hanging onto the edge of a newly formed edge on the cliff's unforgiving side.

"Humphrey!" Kate shouted in response, dashing up to him to get him out of harm's way.

As she reached him, Humphrey wore a half smug and terribly nervous grin. He had his forepaws crossed and he dug his claws into the ledge as deeply as he could.

Kate, not wanting him to slip, immediately grabbed hold of his paws with her teeth and pulled him towards her. And, with a sharp bark and a short twinge of guilt, Kate managed to help Humphrey back on solid ground.

The moment he hit the ground, he stood on his hind legs and rubbed his injured paw with his free and unhurt one.

"Did you have to bite so hard?" Humphrey asked, trying to dismiss the fact that Kate had just saved his life once more.

Regaining her footing, Kate shook her head and walked over to Humphrey. She carefully lifted his paw up to inspect it as she didn't want him to go on without ensuring that he could make the journey.

"You're not even bleeding." Kate spoke, finding no spots or even signs of bite wounds. She was sure that he would have gotten them, but she was glad that he was okay.

"Besides, Humphrey, you almost fell." Kate said, pointing at where she had just gotten Humphrey from.

The edge that he was hanging on was now somewhat destroyed and part of the path that they had walked on was crumbled now as well. Had they needed to come up here again, they would definitely have to choose a different path.

Humphrey looked back at the path and chuckled at the mishap.

"I've fallen plenty." Humphrey said matter-of-factly, as he had in mind each of the times where he could easily recall himself falling from some activity or trial.

"Were any of those on your head?" Garth chimed in, but regretted it as he received a penitent look from Lilly.

Feeling slightly bad about saying anything terrible about Humphrey while Lilly told him not to, Garth tried to find something to take his mind off of the situation.

"So where is this place?" Garth said casually, staving off any form of words that would cause Lilly to become upset again.

Lilly paused for a moment, she wanted to talk to Garth about what he said to Humphrey, but she didn't want him to feel as though he were being put on spot.

"What did mom say about it?" Kate asked, now more intrigued than ever to be visiting somewhere that her parents had been before for sight-seeing as well.

She placed her paw to her chin and thought of what she and Eve had talked about days ago.

"Mom said that they were about halfway up," She stated, trying to remember what it was exactly Eve had told her about this mysterious spot.

"Oh, it was in a clearing," She added in quickly, she couldn't remember every little detail about the spot, but she wouldn't dare miss on what she could remember.

"In a clearing halfway, huh?" Garth mumbled, looking toward the new path that had laid itself before them.

It looked much easier than what they had recently climbed and had nearly fallen into, and he was glad to have thing start to even out as he didn't want a repeat of them almost plummeting to their deaths on his paws.

Smiling that this may be the end, Garth looked up toward the mountain peak, and from judging the height to where they were, he could guess that they were about halfway up.

"If it's halfway, then we're almost there," Garth concluded, he was becoming more and more interested as to what this spot was. None of them four had ever been here before, and to him, that sparked his sense of adventure.

"Yeah, I-" Lilly replied cheerfully, though losing her words halfway through, "I think it was."

She was still not sure exactly where it was, but she still had hope that she was right in her judgment.

Sensing her sister's hesitation to their cause, Kate walked up to her and placed a paw on her shoulder. Lilly immediately derailed her train of thought and focused on what Kate had to tell her.

"Lilly," Kate said with a sincere and caring smile "I'm sure we're close, I mean we're already this far."

Lilly was thankful that Kate was there to cheer her up in the face of her not knowing if this place was or wasn't true, but just after she spoke, Humphrey stood beside her.

"Yeah, I'm sure it's close," Humphrey added with a bright and equally honest laugh, he leaned in and whispered "I know, Kate told me we're almost there."

Lilly couldn't help but laugh at this statement, she had hoped that Kate was right just as she was. Her idea was coming together just as she had always wanted, but still there was one more person that she had to turn to.

With a much deserved and heartfelt smile, she turned to see Garth face to face.

"Come on," Garth said, walking beside her and urging her to walk with him. "Besides, it's the perfect spot."

Lilly didn't even speak a word as none needed to be said, this is what she had hoped for, to have all of them get along. She walked carefully, just beside Garth, thinking of all that she wanted to say to him, and to her family as well after watching the sunset. But in the recesses of her mind she knew it would have to wait, she didn't want any of them to bicker and fight, but she wanted each of them to know how much this meant to her.

"Guys," Lilly heard Garth speak right next to her, "I see a clearing up ahead."

At the mere mention of the word 'clearing' the others perked their ears up. They were all finally able to see this hidden place to view their setting sun.

Each of them moved in unison, quickly increasing their strides in order to see where it was, that even Eve herself, had deemed a place worth mention.

While the four wolves walked fluidly and in harmony towards their destination, only one of them had nervous jitters about arriving.

'Okay, were here.' Kate said to herself, her plan finally coming into the light 'It's now or never, I have to get them to apologize.'

This whole time, as she had planned she had become increasingly skeptical that it would work without fail. For there was only one little and tiny thing that she had, up until now, forgotten completely. Lilly would be there to witness the whole thing.

She now knew she didn't think of that at all, but she had to find a way to ensure that Lilly would miss out on Humphrey and Garth apologizing to one another.

'It can still work,' Kate assured herself. 'Please let this work.'

Having thought things through and looking for any way to get Lilly out of this situation, Kate looked ahead to see her and Garth both walking at a very slow pace.

Kate froze as she saw the two look back at her with clear astonishment on their features.

Though she initially believed that Lilly had somehow gotten notice of her plan, she noticed that Humphrey had also had the same look as well.

Kate peered further ahead to something that she now didn't know what to make of, it was the clearing that they had talked about earlier. Only, it wasn't the beautiful place that she had thought it was, instead it looked more like a rock-slide.

* * *

**If you liked this story, or any of the stories in the series check out the forum at ( forum/Alpha-and-Omega-The-Series/118805/).**

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**A new story for "A&O The Series" has arrived, check out "Lilly on Trial".**

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**Credit goes to the "Alpha & Omega: The Series" authors for their efforts in helping with this project.**

**Beta Read by: Gordon Pasha**

**Edited by: Gordon Pasha**

**Till Next Time**

**-DLW**


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